Trump Picks Chiefs To Win Super Bowl—And He’s Clashed With The Eagles In The Past
Key Facts
Trump told Fox News’ Bret Baier that while he sees positives for both teams “I have to go with Kansas City,” lauding the success of quarterback Patrick Mahomes and noting Mahomes’ wife, Brittany, is “a Trump fan, a MAGA fan.”
Though Trump has largely kept from publicly rooting for teams, he had been complimentary of the Chiefs on Truth Social while making no mention of the Eagles, years after he publicly sparred with the team, though he did mention the feud in the interview that aired Sunday.
Trump congratulated the Chiefs for making the Super Bowl in January, praising them for having a “GREAT Team, Coach, Quarterback, and virtually everything else,” and thanking fans in the city who voted for him.
Trump did not congratulate the Eagles, whom he disinvited from the White House in 2018 after the team beat the New England Patriots to win Super Bowl LII, which was part of an ongoing feud Trump had with the NFL over players protesting during the national anthem.
Why Did Trump Disinvite The Eagles In 2018?
Trump posted on X (then known as Twitter) in June 2018 stating he rescinded an invitation for the Eagles to visit the White House in celebration of their Super Bowl victory, stating “only a small number of players decided to come.” Trump, in his post, slammed players for remaining in the locker room or kneeling while the national anthem played before NFL games as a form of protest against police brutality, which sparked backlash among some conservatives, though players and reporters disputed Trump linking the canceled visit to the protests. One unnamed player who spoke to CNN said the team held meetings about whether to make the traditional post-championship visit to the White House, and not many wanted to go, though the protests were never raised as a concern during these meetings. CBS Sports also reported no players on the Eagles took a knee in protest during the national anthem that season.
Key Background
Trump feuded with the NFL early in his first term over players, most notably former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick, kneeling during the pregame playing of the national anthem to protest police violence and racism. “Wouldn’t you love to see one of these NFL owners, when somebody disrespects our flag, to say, ‘Get that son of a bitch off the field right now. Out! He’s fired. He’s fired,’” Trump said in September 2017. NFL commissioner Roger Goodell issued a statement days later, without naming Trump, criticizing “divisive comments” that “demonstrate a lack of respect for the NFL.” Trump repeatedly slammed the NFL on Twitter, and Business Insider reported he had tweeted about the NFL 37 times in the span of one month in late 2017.
Tangent
Goodell defended the NFL’s diversity, equity and inclusion policies—one of the primary targets of Trump’s second term so far—on Monday, stating the league’s diversity efforts have “attracted better talent.” He clarified the league does not use quotas and operates “well within the law,” adding he does not believe the NFL’s diversity commitments conflict with Trump’s anti-DEI push.
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