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Claim: A TikTok user claims Trump said Portugal’s president would not win a presidential election in Portugal if Ronaldo contests.
Verdict: False. Careful inquiries show that Trump’s remarks to Rebelo de Sousa about Ronaldo’s prospect of contesting and winning against him have been edited. News outlets reveal that Trump never said Portugal’s president would lose to Ronaldo in a presidential election.
Full Text
On June 27, 2018, Portugal’s president, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, visited the White House to mark the culmination of the Month of Portugal in the United States. The occasion reflects a nationwide celebration of the cultural and economic relationship between the two countries.
President Donald Trump and Rebelo de Sousa discussed expanding their security and economic partnership, diversifying European energy resources, efforts to strengthen the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO), and Portugal’s plan to meet the Alliance’s defence spending targets.
Against this development, a TikTok user, @i9mjrr, shared a video clip showing Rebelo de Sousa boasting that Portugal is fortunate to have five-time Ballon d’Or winner and two-time UEFA Nations League winner Cristiano Ronaldo as a citizen. Trump then said that if Rebelo de Sousa and Ronaldo were to contest an election, the renowned football player would win.
“Don’t forget that Portugal has the best player in the world. And he is called Cristiano Ronaldo,” Rebelo de Sousa said.
“So, will Cristiano ever run for president against you? You wouldn’t win, you know,” Trump responded.
As of Sunday, Oct. 19, 2025, the TikTok post has earned over 261,000 likes, 1,474 comments, 21,300 bookmarks, and 18,200 shares.
Other users not only acknowledged Trump’s response to Rebelo de Sousa, but also insinuated that Ronaldo might as well put Trump behind if they both contest in an election.
“Ronaldo can easily win Trump if he wants,” Idris wrote.
“Trump knows who’s the GOAT,” bKing3047 remarked.
“Dear Trump, be within your limits. We are dangerous,” Khushal_7 cautioned.
Due to the sensitive nature of the claim and in the interest of international relations, DUBAWA decided to verify the claim.
Verification
DUBAWA conducted a keyword search for the Portuguese president meeting Trump, and we found a video clip of the meeting that Newsweek shared on YouTube on June 28, 2018.
In the video, Rebelo de Sousa boasted before Trump that Portugal has Ronaldo, whom he referred to as the best football player in the world. He further told Trump that he should look out for Portugal if he ever viewed the World Cup (2018 World Cup in Russia). The Portuguese president told Trump he was impressed with the player’s performance.
Trump then asked if Ronaldo would win an election if he competed against Rebelo de Sousa. While his Portuguese counterpart appeared to ponder the question, Trump again responded negatively.
“So, will Christian ever run for president against you? He wouldn’t win. You know he wouldn’t win,” Trump told Rebelo de Sousa.
Cable News Network (CNN) also reported Trump’s comments about Ronaldo contesting and losing to Rebelo de Sousa.
Conclusion
The claim is false. Trump’s statements have been edited to suggest that Portugal’s president would lose to Ronaldo in a presidential election.
