The Philadelphia Eagles are making their way to the White House, and while the team is usually locked in on the field, things are playing out a little differently off the field. After their Super Bowl LIX win, the NFL champs are scheduled to visit the White House on April 28 to celebrate their big moment.
But with the current White House administration, the reactions have been… mixed, to say the least. Though the team formally accepted President Trump’s invitation, it’s unclear if the entire team will be in attendance.
When reporters asked Eagles star quarterback Jalen Hurts about his plans, he kept it short, sweet, and super coy…literally. Hurts simply responded with a stretched-out “Umm” before walking off, giving major “if you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all” energy.
Meanwhile, Saquon Barkley, the Eagles’ star running back, was spotted hanging out with President Trump 24 hours before the team’s scheduled visit. On Sunday, Trump and the NFL star were reportedly spotted together at Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, New Jersey, and later seen together at Marine One, before they boarded Air Force One.
“What a nice guy,” Trump said of Barkley moments before boarding, per CNN. “I wanted to race him, but I decided not to do it.”
The Philadelphia Eagles’ decision to accept the White House visit was particularly shocking, as the NFL team previously declined the traditional Super Bowl champion White House visit in 2018, during Trump’s first term.
“There was no reticence whatsoever. To be celebrated at the White House is a good thing,” Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie said in a press conference. “There were special circumstances [in 2018] that were very different, and so this was kind of an obvious choice, and [we] look forward to it. When you grow up and you hear about: ‘Oh, the championship team got to go to the White House,’ that’s what this is…Our culture is that these are optional things. If you want to enjoy this, come along and we’ll have a great time, and if you don’t, it is totally an optional thing.”
