Rory McIlroy was singled out by President Donald Trump at the White House’s state dinner in honor of King Charles III and Queen Camilla.
In the middle of his speech at the event on Tuesday, April 28, Trump, 79, stopped to congratulate McIlroy, 36, for his “unconquerable courage” after winning his second consecutive Masters Tournament earlier this month.
“Where’s Rory McIlroy? Stand up, will you please?” Trump insisted.
McIlroy rose from his seat and received a hearty round of applause from the other guests, which included Jeff Bezos, Tim Cook and New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft.
“That was very good, Rory,” Trump continued. “I don’t know if that helps them talk about how wonderful my speech is, but I had to interrupt my speech because I watched that man win a tournament … that was a tough one. Congratulations, very proud of you. Now I’ll get back to my speech.”
Trump’s comments earned a laugh from McIlroy, who was sitting in between his wife, Erica Stoll, and Fox Business host Maria Bartiromo.
Per the White House, Tuesday night’s state dinner honored “the special relationship between the United States and the United Kingdom as the American people mark 250 years of independence.”
Other guests at the dinner included Fox News’ Ainsley Earhardt and Greg Gutfeld, fashion designer Hervé Pierre and former NFL player Keith Poole.
McIlroy earned his second consecutive green jacket on April 12, becoming the fourth golfer in history to win back-to-back Masters tournaments.
The Irish golfer and Stoll, 38, have been married since 2017 and share 5-year-old daughter Poppy. McIlroy filed for divorce from Stoll in May 2024 but withdrew the petition just weeks later.
After his Masters win earlier this month, McIlroy gave a shout-out to his family in his victory speech.
“This is the hard part. I want to say a few thank yous to the people on my left. First and foremost, my wife and daughter, Erica and Poppy,” McIlroy said. “They have to put up with me at home and, trust me, sometimes that’s a tough thing to do. But they have been my biggest supporters.”
He added, “This has definitely turned into Poppy’s favorite week of the year. I don’t know if it’s because of the Par 3 Tournament or it’s the all-you-can-eat ice cream in the players’ services building.”
McIlroy also praised his parents, who attended the 2026 Masters after skipping out last year.
“Surprisingly, I had to convince them to come this year, because they thought that the reason that I won was because they weren’t here,” he said. “So I’m glad that we proved that wrong. But mom and dad, I owe everything to you. You are the most wonderful parents. If I can be half the parent to Poppy as you were to me, then I know I’ve done a good job.”
