Historic sporting events to be presided over by Trump: Which teams and stars may decline White House visits?

Donald Trump's second term will be a historic four years for sports.

The U.S. will host both the World Cup and the Summer Olympics during a single presidential term, drawing the attention of the entire world.

In America, Trump's controversial stance among many of the country's biggest sports stars and figures could become even more heated than it was four years ago.

The upcoming four years with Trump in the White House will bring all sports history under a global and political scrutiny.

The first college football national champion White House visit of the expanded playoff era

The 2024 college football season marks the first time in history that there will be a 12-team playoff and a significant realignment in the major conferences following a large number of programs leaving the Pac-12.

The first official championship will occur just before Trump's second term inauguration in January, and the champions will visit the White House as one of the first events of his second term.

Trump should anticipate respect from football coaches and celebrities. In the U.S., college football has been the sport that has embraced Trump the most unanimously during his first term and his recent campaign. His visits to games, including Army-Navy games in his first term and a Georgia-Alabama game in September, were met with thunderous applause.

During Trump's first term, no college football national champion skipped a White House visit. However, Georgia skipped a visit to President Biden's White House in 2023.

No notable college football coach has publicly criticized Trump, while many have praised the next president.

In the next three years, it's possible that the lowest-ranked team to ever win the national title could be hosted by Trump's White House, with 12 teams now in the college football playoff.

Four WNBA seasons at the dawn of the Caitlin Clark era

During his first term, Trump did not invite any major women's basketball championship teams to the White House, including all WNBA champions.

The 2017 women's college basketball champion South Carolina Gamecocks, the 2017 WNBA champion Minnesota Lynx, and the 2018 women's college basketball champion Notre Dame Fighting Irish were among those who were not invited to the ceremony. However, the 2018 WNBA champion Seattle Storm made it clear that they would not have attended the ceremony if they had been invited.

The Baylor Bears were the only women's basketball team to visit the White House during Trump's presidency.

The New York Liberty, the reigning WNBA champions, may not be invited or might choose not to attend a visit to Trump's White House in May. Liberty star Breanna Stewart has been an activist for left-wing values and protested against Trump's travel ban in January 2017.

Since Trump left office, 22-year-old superstar Caitlin Clark has brought a significant new spotlight to the sport, and Trump himself has complimented Clark and suggested she is underpaid during an interview on the "Let’s Go!" podcast.

"Trump stated that Clark was incredible, and he had watched her. He believed that she was unbelievable and wondered if she could shoot that way in the NBA."

If Clark leads the Indiana Fever to an WNBA title in the next three years, the team's visit to the Trump White House will be a significant moment in the league's history and the future of its audience.

The 2026 FIFA World Cup

Trump will be the one to present the 2026 World Cup trophy after the final at MetLife Stadium in 2026.

The 2026 World Cup was initially agreed upon with the understanding that Trump wouldn't be president when the event took place amid concerns over the controversy he stirred in the global community. However, in a meeting with FIFA President Gianni Infantino at the White House in August 2018, Trump didn't factor in the possibility of losing the 2020 election, which opened the door for him to run again four years later and thus return to office in time for the 2026 World Cup.

At the time, the Associated Press reported that Trump stated, "I won’t be here in 2026."

Despite not using his official FIFA account, Infantino congratulated Trump on Instagram before his election victory. Additionally, Infantino recently relocated to Miami, which is 70 miles south of Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate. FIFA has been in contact with Trump to discuss potential challenges, such as Iran's potential qualification for the men's World Cup and the political implications it may bring.

If one of soccer's powerhouse countries wins, Trump may be spared an awkward trophy interaction with one of the sport's biggest stars, based on past interactions.

In 2022, France superstar Kylian Mbappé posed for a photo with Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner at the World Cup in Qatar, and the French star even put his arms around Trump's grandchildren in the photo.

In France's election this year, Mbappé spoke out against Marine Le Pen, his country's right-wing presidential candidate, and criticized her for her anti-immigration stances.

In 2026, Mbappé could become the most renowned soccer player.

Four Super Bowl appearances that could feature Taylor Swift's boyfriend after Trump made a statement about hating her.

The Chiefs are currently undefeated and have the best odds in the league to make the Super Bowl, which could be their third in a row, when Trump is inaugurated in January.

If they succeed, it will be their first visit to the White House under President Trump. Despite the pandemic, they were unable to visit the White House in the summer of 2020. Their previous two championships resulted in trips to the White House, where all notable players except for kicker Harrison Butker attended.

If the team succeeds and is invited to the White House, Travis Kelce would face a dilemma because his girlfriend, Taylor Swift, endorsed Trump's Democrat opponent, Vice President Harris, and has been supporting Democrats since 2018. However, Swift's endorsement of Harris triggered a hostile response from Trump, who wrote "I HATE TAYLOR SWIFT" on his Truth Social platform in September.

In this year's election cycle, Kelce has not discussed politics at all. Previously, he was criticized by Aaron Rodgers for endorsing a Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine.

In the recent election cycle, members of Patrick Mahomes' family publicly supported Trump. Mahomes' mother endorsed Trump, while his wife liked several posts and comments on social media in support of Trump.

The NFL's current champions, the Chiefs, could maintain their status as the active dynasty during Trump's presidency, potentially leading to uncomfortable White House invitations.

During his first term, only two NFL teams were invited to Trump's White House: the New England Patriots and Philadelphia Eagles. The Patriots accepted both invitations in 2017 and 2019, while the Eagles' visit was canceled due to Trump's stance on players standing for the national anthem.

If the Eagles win the Super Bowl during Trump's second term, a second White House invitation could spark a national controversy, just like the first time.

The 2028 Los Angeles Olympics

Trump played an active role in America's bid to host the 2028 Olympics and will preside over it in his final year of his second term.

The International Olympic Committee has not publicly embraced cooperation with Trump in the same way as FIFA.

In June 2017, IOC President Thomas Bach visited the White House, which is now infamous for how poorly it went.

On a cellphone call in Washington, D.C., Bach was heard saying, "Pray for our world."

The IOC has not yet recognized Trump's presidential victory, citing its tradition of neutrality and not taking political sides, as stated by the AP.

The IOC and Trump may face a potential conflict over the issue of gender eligibility for athletes in women's sports. Trump has promised to ban trans athletes from competing in women's sports during his presidency, and he has spoken out against the inclusion of boxers Imane Khelif and Lin Yu-ning, who have failed gender eligibility tests in previous international competitions.

The IOC has defended the inclusion of boxers, but the United Nations warns that more cases could arise by 2028, with nearly 900 biological females falling short of the podium due to trans athletes.

The NBA at the twilight of LeBron James and Steph Curry's careers

No NBA champions visited the White House during Trump's first term.

In the past four years, LeBron James and Stephen Curry have frequently criticized Trump and supported Democrat candidates. They backed Hillary Clinton in 2016, Biden in 2020, and Harris in 2024.

Whether both players will have the chance to turn down a visit to the Trump White House is uncertain, as they are nearing the end of their careers.

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