(MENAFN- Live Mint) The lavish White House dinner, hosted by US President Donald Trump for the visiting Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman on Tuesday, featured a star-studded guest list that included Portuguese football superstar Cristiano Ronaldo, billionaire Elon Musk, and Apple CEO Tim Cook.

At the dinner on Tuesday night, the tuxedo-clad president and first lady, Melania Trump, welcomed the crown prince back on the red carpet again, before feting him at a dinner.

The dinner was attended by tech titans such as Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, Tesla founder Elon Musk and Apple CEO Tim Cook, along with golfer Bryson DeChambeau and soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo.

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They dined on a pistachio-crusted rack of lamb, followed by a couverture mousse pear for dessert.

During the dinner, Trump also praised the Saudi prince as a“man of leadership,” having earlier defended his royal visitor over the 2018 murder of dissident Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

The US President also announced he was designating Saudi Arabia as a major non-NATO ally, a largely symbolic move that gives foreign partners some defence, trade and security cooperation benefits.

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Cristiano Ronaldo, the soccer star, was seated near the front of the East Room, not far from where the president and crown prince gave remarks to officials from both nations.

It was a rare US visit for Ronaldo, who hasn't played in the country since 2014.

Ronaldo has been the face of the Saudi soccer league since joining Saudi club Al-Nassr at the end of 2022 on a reported $200 million-a-year contract.

The 40-year-old Portuguese star signed a two-year extension in June with Al-Nassr, which is majority owned by the Saudi sovereign wealth fund that the crown prince chairs.

Donald Trump, in his speech, made a point of recognising Ronaldo, whom he said he introduced to his teenage son.

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Trump thanked the athlete for attending. He said that his youngest son, Barron, is a“big fan” of Ronaldo and the 19-year-old was impressed that he got to meet the soccer player.

“Barron got to meet him. And I think he respects his father a little bit more, now, just the fact that I introduced you,” Trump said.

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