Philadelphia Eagles star running back Saquon Barkley spent Sunday with President Donald Trump at the Trump National Golf Club Bedminster in New Jersey.
Trump recently returned from Rome, Italy, where he attended the funeral of Pope Francis.
Pictures of Barkley sitting at a table with Trump at the president’s golf club caused quite a stir on social media. The Eagles running back later boarded Air Force One to travel to Washington, D.C.
Before boarding returning to the nation’s capital, Trump briefly spoke to media gathered at Morristown Municipal Airport in Morristown, N.J. He spoke fondly of the Eagles star running back and quipped about competing against Barkley in a race.
“What a nice guy he is,” Trump said. “I wanted to race him, but I decided not to do it.”
After arriving at the White House the president and the star running back took pictures with a child in the White House Rose Garden around 7:30 p.m., according to CBS News. Trump and Barkley then walked into the Oval Office.
The Philadelphia Eagles will attend a special ceremony at the White House on Monday to honor the Super Bowl 59 champions. In February, they defeated the Kansas City Chiefs 40-22 in New Orleans to win the franchise’s second Super Bowl championship. However, the team’s appearance at the White House has been marred by controversy due to incorrect media reports and recent questionable comments from the team’s quarterback, Jalen Hurts.
In late February, false rumors circulated that the team said it would skip the White House visit. This report was based on an inaccurate story in an international publication. After several hours of uncertainty over the story, it was later confirmed that the Eagles would be invited to attend a ceremony at the White House.
Then, this past week, while attending the TIME 100 gala, Hurts was inexplicably asked by a reporter if he would attend the White House’s ceremony on Monday. Hurts replied with a non-answer that left many to speculate what he meant and if he would attend.
“Ummm,” Hurts said before smirking, turning away, and then turning back to look at the reporter who asked the question while still smiling.
“Got it,” the reporter then said. “Thank you so much.” And then Hurts walked away.
The Eagles ceremony is scheduled to begin at the White House at 4 p.m. While Hurts’ appearance at the ceremony is uncertain, it is obvious that Barkley, the team’s best player and biggest star, will be there.