The NFL squad Trump frequently criticizes
The president has provided hints indicating that nothing would please him more than witnessing the Eagles face a devastating defeat in the Super Bowl.
TroibNews 
A historic audience is anticipated for this weekend's Super Bowl, featuring Donald Trump, marking the first time a sitting president will attend the game in person.
Polls indicate that a majority of Americans will be cheering for the Philadelphia Eagles as they face off against the dominant Kansas City Chiefs, but Trump is likely not among them. While he hasn’t formally stated his preference, hints suggest that he would take pleasure in seeing the Eagles lose in this major sporting event.
Trump’s animosity towards the Eagles dates back to 2018, the year the team won their first and only Super Bowl. The game occurred during a season rife with political tensions, especially concerning players kneeling during the national anthem to protest racism. As president at the time, Trump opposed this practice and criticized the players involved.
The Eagles were seen as a particularly socially aware team, with owner Jeffrey Lurie—a donor to Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama—reportedly speaking negatively about Trump in private discussions with other NFL owners. Following their Super Bowl victory in 2018, many players chose to skip the ceremonial White House visit for championship teams, prompting Trump to disinvite them.
“The Philadelphia Eagles are unable to come to the White House with their full team to be celebrated tomorrow,” Trump stated then. “They disagree with their president because he insists that they proudly stand for the national anthem, hand on heart, in honor of the great men and women of our military and the people of our country.”
Since that incident, the rift has only deepened. Trump made it clear that his disdain for the Eagles extended to Philadelphia itself. During his first debate with Joe Biden in 2020, he falsely claimed that poll watchers were obstructed from observing the first day of in-person early voting in the city. “Bad things happen in Philadelphia, bad things,” he remarked.
The contentious post-election period saw Trump label Philadelphia as a center of election fraud, along with Detroit. Rudy Giuliani, a close ally of Trump, highlighted the city's reputation for rowdy sports fans. He stated, “Election fraud in Philly is about as frequent as getting beaten up at a Philadelphia Eagles football game.”
After a prolonged vote count, the heavily Democratic city provided Biden with the crucial margin needed to win Pennsylvania. Outside the convention center filled with both Trump supporters and opponents, one protester stood with a handmade sign that referenced the Eagles’ previous Super Bowl championship.
“LIST OF ASSHOLES DEFEATED BY PHILADELPHIA,” the sign read. “KING GEORGE. TOM BRADY. DONALD TRUMP.”
Trump’s loss sparked a period of Eagles support from the Biden family. Jill Biden, an Eagles fanatic from the Philadelphia area, and President Biden, who has been spotted wearing Eagles gear, made their support known. Just before another Super Bowl appearance for the Eagles in early 2023, Biden energized a crowd in Philadelphia, shouting, “Fly, Eagles, fly!” and calling the city’s fervent fans “the most informed, obnoxious fans in the world.”
Even after Biden declared he would not run for reelection, the Eagles maintained their significant political presence. Ahead of the first debate between Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris, counterfeit ads appeared on bus shelters in Philadelphia, falsely claiming the Eagles had endorsed Harris. The team had to publicly reject the ads, clarifying they were not approved by the organization.
If anyone believed that the past grievances and the Biden family's support for the Eagles had been forgotten, Trump’s Truth Social posts leading up to the Super Bowl would suggest otherwise. Two weeks ago, as both teams secured their spots in the championship, only one received Trump’s congratulations, while the other was notably overlooked.
“Congratulations to the Kansas City Chiefs. What a GREAT Team, Coach, Quarterback, and virtually everything else, including those fantastic FANS, that voted for me in record numbers,” Trump wrote.
His positive sentiments for the Chiefs came as no surprise. Back in September, after Brittany Mahomes, wife of Kansas City quarterback Patrick Mahomes, liked an Instagram post from Trump, he expressed his gratitude. “I want to thank beautiful Brittany Mahomes for so strongly defending me, and the fact that MAGA is the greatest and most powerful Political Movement in the History of our now Failing Country,” he posted.
Recently, between bureaucratic maneuvers and a meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, Trump found time to reach out to the Mahomes family again. “Congratulations to the Chiefs GREAT Quarterback, Patrick Mahomes, and his very beautiful and BRILLIANT wife, Brittany, on the birth of their new baby daughter, Golden Raye. This is what I call a baby with great genes, both mother and father. It’s happy times in the wonderful Mahomes family. See you all on Sunday!” he shared.
Officially, the president hasn’t endorsed a team, likely a strategic choice given Pennsylvania’s importance as a swing state and Trump’s improved support in Philadelphia for the upcoming election. Yet during an Oval Office interview this week, when asked about his preferred winner for the Super Bowl, Trump seemed to hint at an allegiance. “I don’t wanna say,” he replied, “but there’s a certain quarterback that seems to be a pretty good winner.”
Anna Muller for TROIB News
Polls indicate that a majority of Americans will be cheering for the Philadelphia Eagles as they face off against the dominant Kansas City Chiefs, but Trump is likely not among them. While he hasn’t formally stated his preference, hints suggest that he would take pleasure in seeing the Eagles lose in this major sporting event.
Trump’s animosity towards the Eagles dates back to 2018, the year the team won their first and only Super Bowl. The game occurred during a season rife with political tensions, especially concerning players kneeling during the national anthem to protest racism. As president at the time, Trump opposed this practice and criticized the players involved.
The Eagles were seen as a particularly socially aware team, with owner Jeffrey Lurie—a donor to Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama—reportedly speaking negatively about Trump in private discussions with other NFL owners. Following their Super Bowl victory in 2018, many players chose to skip the ceremonial White House visit for championship teams, prompting Trump to disinvite them.
“The Philadelphia Eagles are unable to come to the White House with their full team to be celebrated tomorrow,” Trump stated then. “They disagree with their president because he insists that they proudly stand for the national anthem, hand on heart, in honor of the great men and women of our military and the people of our country.”
Since that incident, the rift has only deepened. Trump made it clear that his disdain for the Eagles extended to Philadelphia itself. During his first debate with Joe Biden in 2020, he falsely claimed that poll watchers were obstructed from observing the first day of in-person early voting in the city. “Bad things happen in Philadelphia, bad things,” he remarked.
The contentious post-election period saw Trump label Philadelphia as a center of election fraud, along with Detroit. Rudy Giuliani, a close ally of Trump, highlighted the city's reputation for rowdy sports fans. He stated, “Election fraud in Philly is about as frequent as getting beaten up at a Philadelphia Eagles football game.”
After a prolonged vote count, the heavily Democratic city provided Biden with the crucial margin needed to win Pennsylvania. Outside the convention center filled with both Trump supporters and opponents, one protester stood with a handmade sign that referenced the Eagles’ previous Super Bowl championship.
“LIST OF ASSHOLES DEFEATED BY PHILADELPHIA,” the sign read. “KING GEORGE. TOM BRADY. DONALD TRUMP.”
Trump’s loss sparked a period of Eagles support from the Biden family. Jill Biden, an Eagles fanatic from the Philadelphia area, and President Biden, who has been spotted wearing Eagles gear, made their support known. Just before another Super Bowl appearance for the Eagles in early 2023, Biden energized a crowd in Philadelphia, shouting, “Fly, Eagles, fly!” and calling the city’s fervent fans “the most informed, obnoxious fans in the world.”
Even after Biden declared he would not run for reelection, the Eagles maintained their significant political presence. Ahead of the first debate between Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris, counterfeit ads appeared on bus shelters in Philadelphia, falsely claiming the Eagles had endorsed Harris. The team had to publicly reject the ads, clarifying they were not approved by the organization.
If anyone believed that the past grievances and the Biden family's support for the Eagles had been forgotten, Trump’s Truth Social posts leading up to the Super Bowl would suggest otherwise. Two weeks ago, as both teams secured their spots in the championship, only one received Trump’s congratulations, while the other was notably overlooked.
“Congratulations to the Kansas City Chiefs. What a GREAT Team, Coach, Quarterback, and virtually everything else, including those fantastic FANS, that voted for me in record numbers,” Trump wrote.
His positive sentiments for the Chiefs came as no surprise. Back in September, after Brittany Mahomes, wife of Kansas City quarterback Patrick Mahomes, liked an Instagram post from Trump, he expressed his gratitude. “I want to thank beautiful Brittany Mahomes for so strongly defending me, and the fact that MAGA is the greatest and most powerful Political Movement in the History of our now Failing Country,” he posted.
Recently, between bureaucratic maneuvers and a meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, Trump found time to reach out to the Mahomes family again. “Congratulations to the Chiefs GREAT Quarterback, Patrick Mahomes, and his very beautiful and BRILLIANT wife, Brittany, on the birth of their new baby daughter, Golden Raye. This is what I call a baby with great genes, both mother and father. It’s happy times in the wonderful Mahomes family. See you all on Sunday!” he shared.
Officially, the president hasn’t endorsed a team, likely a strategic choice given Pennsylvania’s importance as a swing state and Trump’s improved support in Philadelphia for the upcoming election. Yet during an Oval Office interview this week, when asked about his preferred winner for the Super Bowl, Trump seemed to hint at an allegiance. “I don’t wanna say,” he replied, “but there’s a certain quarterback that seems to be a pretty good winner.”
Anna Muller for TROIB News
