President Donald Trump welcomed the Philadelphia Eagles to the White House months after they won the 2025 Super Bowl.
“We’re thrilled to welcome everyone to the White House, a special place — and to celebrate Super Bowl LIX champions, the Philadelphia Eagles,” Trump told a crowd gathered on the South Lawn on Monday.
Trump used the opportunity to express his support for the Eagles’ so-called “tush push” and to take a swipe at pop star Taylor Swift, who is dating Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce. The Eagles beat the Chiefs 40–22 in February in a rematch from two years ago.
“I watched in person,” the president said Monday. “I was there along with Taylor Swift. How did that work out?”
The tush push is a running play in which the quarterback is propelled forward by his teammates, but it has raised concerns about safety. There will likely be a vote on the play next month.
The Eagles did not participate in the traditional championship celebration at the White House after their last Super Bowl win in 2018 because the White House rescinded the invitation amid a dispute over standing for the national anthem and a date change for the event. Then-press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders criticized the franchise for taking part in a “political stunt.”
There had been speculation as to whether the 2025 iteration would take place, but the White House confirmed in March that the Eagles had accepted this year’s invitation. Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts, who was named Super Bowl MVP, was not in attendance, however, citing a scheduling conflict.
JALEN HURTS WON’T ATTEND PHILADELPHIA EAGLES WHITE HOUSE VISIT DUE TO SCHEDULING CONFLICT
Meanwhile, Eagles running back Saquon Barkley has been scrutinized for playing golf with Trump at the president’s course in Bedminster, New Jersey, on the weekend before flying on Air Force One with him to Washington on Sunday.
“You got the ball to your superstar running back, who I met yesterday, and I want to tell you, he is a handsome guy, but I wouldn’t want to tackle him — Saquon Barkley,” Trump said Monday.