President Trump rarely welcomes someone taller than the 6’9 Barron Trump to the White House. However, he did just that on Wednesday when the 7’9 Canadian phenom and Florida Gator Olivier Rioux entered the Oval Office.
The Gators made the trip to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue to celebrate their NCAA national championship.
U.S. President Donald Trump jokes wth Alijah Martin and Denzel Aberdeen while hosting the 2025 NCAA men’s basketball champion Florida Gators to celebrate their win in the East Room of the White House on May 21, 2025, in Washington, DC. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
To say that Rioux’s immense presence got the president’s attention would be an understatement.
White House Communications Advisor Margo Martin shared a video of Trump’s humorous interaction with Rioux.
After querying Rioux about his exact height, Trump added another observation: “And you’re a beautiful-looking guy,” the president said as the 19-year-old Frenchman laughed. Trump added, “To be that tall, I think it’s great.”
Trump showed interest in Rioux’s basketball performance by asking if he was good. Though the 7-foot-plus foreigner did not play in the Gators’ win over Houston, a Florida coach said off-camera that Rioux is “getting there.”
Trump then said of Rioux’s height, “Boy, what a big advantage, huh?”
A signed basketball is seen before the start of an event with US President Donald Trump welcoming the 2025 NCAA Basketball champions, the Florida Gators, to the White House in Washington, DC, on May 21, 2025. (JIM WATSON/AFP via Getty Images)
It’s an advantage that the Gators hope to take advantage of soon. Rioux was among the most highly coveted international players in the college recruiting landscape, but Florida coaches believe the 19-year-old has untapped potential beyond his obvious natural gifts.
As far as getting to the basket, he doesn’t have that far to go.
As a high school freshman at the shrimpish height of 7’6, it was already clear Rioux would be a problem for opponents on the floor.
Considering they already had a national championship-caliber team, the Gators elected to redshirt Rioux for his freshman season. Next year, head coach Todd Golden will look (up) to his prized Canadian recruit to lead the way to back-to-back national championships and, of course, another visit to the White House.
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