Messi has long steered clear of politics. Does his visit to Trump's White House mark a change?

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — Assisted by a glittering, pink soccer ball, Lionel Messi crossed yet another frontier with his visit to the White House.

Until Thursday, the global soccer superstar had been equally adept at dodging defenders on the field and political leaders, especially those in his own country of Argentina. There were questions about whether he would even appear with the rest of Inter Miami to celebrate their MLS Cup win at the White House.

As the team assembled in the room, he wasn't among their ranks; instead, he walked in alongside U.S. President Donald Trump and team owner Jorge Mas Santos and later presented Trump with the bedazzled ball.

Although Messi was silent throughout, his appearance seemed to speak volumes for a player whose politics have largely been shrouded in mystery.

When Argentina, captained by Messi, won the World Cup in 2022, the team declined to go to then-President Alberto Fernández's Casa Rosada, or Pink House. Argentina's current president — and Trump ally — Javier Milei has vocally praised Messi, but has yet to secure a public appearance or even photo together. A year ago, Messi was invited by then-U.S. President Joe Biden's administration to be presented with the Presidential Medal of Freedom but could not attend because of a scheduling conflict.

In Argentina, the visit caused surprise and even dismay, particularly among those who appreciated the national team captain for not getting involved in politics, a trait that had distinguished him from his predecessor, Diego Maradona. (Some, though, thought his appearance could benefit Argentina as it gears up for its World Cup matches in the U.S.)

Kirk Bowman, a professor at Georgia Tech's Sam Nunn School of International Affairs who studies soccer and politics in Latin America, isn't surprised by Messi's visit, though.

“He is very ‘long-termism’ in his career, both as a player but also as someone who has a very strong team building long-term wealth,” Bowman said, pointing to his myriad investments — including his equity in Inter Miami itself.

“He’s also embedded very strongly in Miami as a community, which is far more conservative as a soccer community than other parts of the United States,” Bowman added.

Messi stood to the side of Trump as the president offered comments on Iran, Cuba and Venezuela. At the end, the soccer star offered some applause. Messi's supporters have defended him by saying he isn't fluent in English, a perception Bowman says serves as “an extra layer of brand protection.”

Representatives for Inter Miami and Messi did not respond to The Associated Press’ requests for comment on the visit, though Inter Miami head coach Javier Mascherano was asked about it during a media availability Friday.

“I thought we would talk about football but I guess I’m not lucky. We were following the protocol that is practically a tradition for a team to visit the White House when it becomes champion,” Mascherano said.

He said the team spent a couple hours at the White House and that the “contact with Trump was what you saw on TV and not much more than that.”

The image of Messi with Trump led some fans to invoke the anti-American stance of the late Maradona, Argentina’s other great football idol. The captain of the 1986 World Cup-winning team was an active supporter of leaders like Fidel Castro and Hugo Chávez. He even had an image of the guerrilla fighter Ernesto “Che” Guevara tattooed on one of his arms.

Messi, by contrast, has stayed largely silent on issues in the various countries he's lived in, whether Argentina, Spain, France or the United States. His career at FC Barcelona, spanning from his teen years to his exit in 2021, coincided with a politically charged period in Spain when Catalonia's separatist movement seriously threatened to break off the northeastern region from the rest of the nation. Messi, however, steered clear of any political statements either for or against the independence push, which at its height divided Catalonia’s 5 million voters in half.

He deftly knew how to preserve his status as an idol of Barça’s divided fans, sticking to scoring goals and winning titles. He could be heard chanting “Visca Barça y visca Catalunya!” (“Long live Barça and long live Catalonia”) while celebrating a title, but the rallying cry was fairly standard for players and largely lacked political overtones.

He otherwise did not speak the local Catalan language but he only had nice things to say about the city he moved to when he was 13. In an interview with Catalan television channel Tv3 in 2024, Messi said that his “children are Catalans” and that “I feel like I am from Barcelona.”

Glimpses of some political leanings came in 2011 and 2020 interviews with La Garganta Poderosa, an Argentine magazine on the left. In the first interview, Messi spoke positively of Guevara, and in the latter, amid the coronavirus pandemic, he called inequality one of society's most pressing problems.

Overall, though, it's unlikely Messi will edge further into politics, Bowman says.

“I don’t think he’s really comfortable being political, but he’s not uncomfortable being used in politics as long as the net benefit is positive,” he said.

Bowman pointed to Messi's commercial contract with Saudi Arabia's tourism board and the “sportswashing” allegations that have followed. He also compared Messi's approach with the kingdom's typical “tarnish clause.”

“I think Messi is seen in the same way,” Bowman said. “He will participate in things as long as it doesn’t tarnish Brand Messi.”

Sen reported from New York. Associated Press journalists Joseph Wilson in Barcelona; Anne M. Peterson in Portland, Oregon; Davidde Corran in New York and Carlos Rodriguez in Mexico City contributed reporting.

Lionel Messi, left, and teammates listen to President Donald Trump speak during an event to honor the 2025 Major League Soccer champions Inter Miami in the East Room of the White House, Thursday, March 5, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)

President Donald Trump poses for a photo as head coach Javier Mascherano, Lionel Messi and Inter Miami co-owner Jorge Mas present gifts at an event to honor the 2025 Major League Soccer champions Inter Miami in the East Room of the White House, Thursday, March 5, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)

Lionel Messi arrives with President Donald Trump for an event to honor the 2025 Major League Soccer champions Inter Miami CF in the East Room of the White House, Thursday, March 5, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

President Donald Trump receives a soccer ball trophy from Lionel Messi during an event to honor the 2025 Major League Soccer champions Inter Miami in the East Room of the White House, Thursday, March 5, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)

Lionel Messi arrives with President Donald Trump at an event to honor the 2025 Major League Soccer champions Inter Miami CF in the East Room of the White House, Thursday, March 5, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

CHICAGO (AP) — From former presidents to an NBA Hall of Famer to prominent pastors, stories of the Rev. Jesse Jackson Sr.’s influence on politics, corporate boardrooms and picket lines loomed large Friday at a celebration honoring the late civil rights leader.

The public tribute — with appearances by Grammy-winning gospel singers and Jennifer Hudson — felt at times like a church service and others like a political rally. Many, from former President Bill Clinton to the Rev. Al Sharpton, a civil rights leader and founder of the National Action Network, likened Jackson’s death to a call to action, from speaking out against justice to voting in the midterms.

Former President Barack Obama said Jackson's presidential runs in the 1980s set the stage for other Black leaders, including his own successful 2009 presidency and re-election.

“The message he sent to a 22-year-old child of a single mother with a funny name, an outsider, was that maybe there wasn’t any place or any room where we didn’t belong,” Obama said to the boisterous crowd of thousands. “He paved the road for so many others to follow."

The event drew a slew of elected U.S. leaders. Other notable attendees included actor and producer Tyler Perry, California Gov. Gavin Newsom, Colombian President Gustavo Petro, and political activist and theologian Cornel West. Detroit Pistons great and Chicago native Isiah Thomas also spoke at the event that lasted five hours.

The crowd gave an especially warm welcome to Obama, who launched his political career in Chicago, and credited Jackson with keeping him on his toes. He said he was grateful to Jackson for providing a “legacy of hope" in contrast with the current Republican leadership in Washington.

“We are living in a time when it can be hard to hope,” Obama said. “Each day we wake up to some new assault to our democratic institutions. Another setback to the idea of the rule of law, an offense to common decency. Every day you wake up to things you just didn’t think were possible.”

Clinton said Jackson made him a better president, while former Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris talked about Jackson's inspiring 1980s presidential runs and showed off campaign memorabilia she had kept from them.

President Donald Trump, who praised Jackson on social media after he died and also shared photos of the two of them, did not attend.

The event honoring the protege of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and two-time presidential candidate followed memorial services that drew large crowds in Chicago and South Carolina, where Jackson was born. Friday’s celebration — at an influential Black church with a 10,000-seat arena — was the largest.

Attendees waited in long lines outside the church as television screens played excerpts of some of Jackson’s most famous speeches. Inside, vendors sold pins with his 1984 presidential slogan and hoodies with his “I Am Somebody” mantra.

Marketing professional Chelsia Bryan said Friday that she decided to attend for the "chance to be part of something historic.”

“As a Black woman, knowing that someone pretty much gave their life, dedicated their life to make sure I can do the things that I can do now, he’s worth honoring,” Bryan said.

Jackson died last month at age 84 after battling a rare neurological disorder that affected his mobility and ability to speak. His final public appearances included the 2024 Democratic National Convention in Chicago.

"Every single person in here has a Jesse Jackson story,” his eldest son, Jesse Jackson Jr., said to the crowd. “The time he shook your hand, the time he prayed for you, the time he held you up, the time he prayed the funeral for somebody you know ... and he prayed you to a new course of existence.”

Sitting in the crowd was 90-year-old Mary Lovett. She said Jackson’s advocacy inspired her many times, from when she moved from Mississippi to Chicago in the 1960s, taught elementary school and became a mom. She voted for Jackson during his presidential runs and appreciated how he always spoke up for underrepresented people.

“He’s gone, but I hope his legacy lives,” she said. “I hope we can remember what he tried to teach us.”

Jackson's pursuits were countless, taking him to all corners of the globe: Advocating for the poor and underrepresented on issues including voting rights, health care, job opportunities and education. He scored diplomatic victories with world leaders, and through Rainbow PUSH Coalition, he channeled cries for Black pride and self-determination into corporate boardrooms, pressuring executives to make America a more open and equitable society.

Sharpton, who considered the late reverend a lifelong mentor, said he hoped attendees would take home some of the “Jackson fire.”

“Don’t sit here so holy and sanctified and act like you have no assignment yourself,” he said to the increasingly boisterous crowd. “We didn’t come this far to turn around now.”

Another son, Yusef Jackson, who runs the Rainbow PUSH Coalition, recalled how his father carried a well-worn Bible but also showed his faith by showing up to picket lines.

“He lived a revolutionary Christian faith rooted in justice, nonviolence and the moral righteousness,” he said. “He was deeply involved in the political struggles of his time, but his gift was that he could rise above them. It’s not about the left wing or the right wing. It takes two wings to fly. For him, the goal was always the moral center.”

A final homegoing service was scheduled for Saturday at Rainbow PUSH Coalition.

Services in Washington, D.C., were tabled after a request to allow Jackson to lie in honor in the United States Capitol rotunda was denied by House Speaker Mike Johnson, who said the space is typically reserved for select officials, including former presidents.

From left, former Vice President Kamala Harris, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, former President Bill Clinton, former President Barack Obama, former first lady Jill Biden, and former President Joe Biden attend the Public Homegoing Service for Rev. Jesse Jackson at the House of Hope in Chicago, Friday, March 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley)

Former President Barack Obama speaks during the Public Homegoing Service for the Rev. Jesse Jackson at the House of Hope in Chicago, Friday, March 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley)

A person stands during the Public Homegoing Service for the Rev. Jesse Jackson at the House of Hope in Chicago, Friday, March 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

From left, Former Vice President Kamala Harris, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, former President Bill Clinton, former President Barack Obama, Jill Biden, and former President Joe Biden attend the Public Homegoing Service for Reverend Jesse Jackson at the House of Hope in Chicago, Friday, March 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley)

People gather before the Public Homegoing Service for the Rev. Jesse Jackson at the House of Hope in Chicago, Friday, March 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

The casket with the Rev. Jesse Jackson arrives for the Public Homegoing Service at the House of Hope in Chicago, Friday, March 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

The casket with the Rev. Jesse Jackson is seen before the Public Homegoing Service at the House of Hope in Chicago, Friday, March 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley)

Veronica Edmonds waits on line to enter the Public Homegoing Service for the Rev. Jesse Jackson at the House of Hope in Chicago, Friday, March 6, 2026.(AP Photo/Erin Hooley)

People stand on line before the Public Homegoing Service for the Rev. Jesse Jackson at the House of Hope in Chicago, Friday, March 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley)

Lisa Fields waits on line to enter the Public Homegoing Service for the Rev. Jesse Jackson at the House of Hope in Chicago, Friday, March 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley)

People stand on line to enter the Public Homegoing Service for the Rev. Jesse Jackson at the House of Hope in Chicago, Friday, March 6, 2026.( (AP Photo/Erin Hooley)

People stand on line to enter the Public Homegoing Service for the Rev. Jesse Jackson at the House of Hope in Chicago, Friday, March 6, 2026.((AP Photo/Erin Hooley)

People pay their respects to the Rev. Jesse Jackson inside the South Carolina Statehouse as he lies in state Monday, March 2, 2026, in Columbia, S.C. (AP Photo/Matt Kelley, Pool)

Santita Jackson, daughter of the Rev. Jesse Jackson, left, speaks at Brookland Baptist Church during a tribute service honoring her late father Monday, March 2, 2026, in West Columbia, S.C. (AP Photo/Matt Kelley)

The casket of the Rev. Jesse Jackson is carried to the South Carolina Statehouse, where he will lie in state, Monday, March 2, 2026, in Columbia, S.C. (AP Photo/Matt Kelley, Pool)

Rep. Jonathan Jackson, D-Ill., hugs a mourner at a public visitation for the Rev. Jesse Jackson at Rainbow PUSH Coalition headquarters Friday, Feb. 27, 2026, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley)

Jacqueline Jackson, the wife of the Rev. Jesse Jackson, attends his public visitation at Rainbow PUSH Coalition headquarters, Friday, Feb. 27, 2026, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley)