WASHINGTON (TNND) — The Philadelphia Eagles will celebrate their Super Bowl win over the Kansas City Chiefs with President Donald Trump on Monday afternoon. The Eagles will visit the White House at 4 p.m. EST for an event on the South Lawn, with star running back Saquon Barkley getting a jump on the festivities with Trump. Barkley was spotted Sunday at the president's golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey, before traveling on Marine One with Trump.
Trump told reporters that Barkley is a "nice guy" and that he "wanted to race him." According to a White House pool report, Trump and Barkley took photos with a child in the Rose Garden Sunday night before walking into the Oval Office. Ahead of Monday's visit, Barkley took to X after people on social media expressed frustration over his visit with Trump. "lol some people are really upset cause I played golfed and flew to the White House with the PRESIDENT. Maybe I just respect the office, not a hard concept to understand. Just golfed with Obama not too long ago and look forward to finishing my round with Trump! Now ya get out my mentions with all this politics and have amazing day," Barkley wrote.
Quarterback and Super Bowl MVP Jalen Hurts was recently asked if he would travel with the team to the White House visit. At last week's Time 100 gala, Hurts dodged the question, leaving fans speculating if he would attend. An NBC News correspondent confirmed on X that Hurts would be skipping the visit on Monday due to "scheduling conflicts." The White House said other players not in attendance also had scheduling conflicts.
Rumors had previously swirled online about whether or not the Eagles would go to the White House, but Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie said going to the White House was "an obvious choice" and optional for players. This isn't the first time an Eagles visit prompted a political debate. In 2018, after the Eagles won their first Super Bowl, the team did not travel to the White House. Trump canceled the visit a day before, saying some on the team "disagree with their president" over standing for the national anthem.
The Philadelphia Eagles are set to be honored at the White House on April 28 for their Super Bowl 59 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs. While much attention will be on President Donald Trump after the team's previous trip was abruptly canceled in 2018, the main focus will be on which Eagles players choose to attend or who decides to stay home for the visit.
Hours before the Philadelphia's visit was set to begin, it was announced that Hurts along with other unnamed Eagles players would not attend the White House visit, according to a report by NBC News. Last week, Hurts was asked at the Time100 Gala about whether he'd be participating in the Philadelphia Eagles' upcoming scheduled visit to the White House. Hurts started by saying "Umm." Then he smiled, looked away and didn't say anything else.
While Hurts' appearance is still in question, it appears certain that star running back Saquon Barkley will be in Washington, D.C. with the president. A day prior to the visit on April 27, Barkley was seen exiting Marine One with Trump. During the day, Barkley also was seen with Trump at the Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, New Jersey, according to a report by Dov Kleiman.
Barkley responded to critics over his Trump visit following some backlash on social media about his visit with Trump. "Maybe I just respect the office, not a hard concept to understand," Barkley said in the post. "Just golfed with Obama not too long ago…and look forward to finishing my round with Trump! Now ya get out my mentions with all this politics and have amazing day."
Hurts and Barkley were not on the team the last time the Eagles won the Super Bowl in the 2017 season. Back then, during Trump's first administration, several Eagles players said they would not attend the ceremony at the White House because of the president's comments against players protesting social injustices during the national anthem, either by kneeling or raising their fists. Soon after, the White House invitation was rescinded due to Trump's disappointment in some players kneeling during the anthem.
Why are the Eagles going to visit the White House after Super Bowl 59? Eagles chairman and CEO Jeffrey Lurie said earlier this month at the NFL owners' meetings that players are free to choose if they want to attend or not. "We just felt that this is a time-honored tradition, being invited by the White House," Lurie said. "There was no reticence whatsoever. To be celebrated at the White House is a good thing. There were special circumstances back then that were very different. This was kind of an obvious choice. Look forward to it … (Last time), we didn’t have that opportunity (to go), and now we do, and I think we’re all looking forward to it."
Lurie also acknowledged that some players might not want to attend, and he said he's fine with that. "Our culture is that these are optional things," Lurie said. "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." Lurie added that he's not worried if some fans might see the visit as the team embracing the President and his policies. "This is really just an invitation from the White House. That's all this is," Lurie said. "We're not politicizing it in any way. Not for us."
The White House visit comes following the weekend of the 2025 NFL Draft. The Eagles drafted: Jihaad Campbell, LB, Alabama (Round 1, Pick 31); Andrew Mukuba, DB, Texas (Round 2, Pick 64); Ty Robinson, DT, Nebraska (Round 4, Pick 111); Mac McWilliams, CB, Central Florida (Round 5, Pick 145); Smael Mondon, LB, Georgia (Round 5, Pick 161); Drew Kendall, C, Boston College (Round 5, Pick 168); Kyle McCord, QB, Syracuse (Round 6, Pick 181); Myles Hinton, T, Michigan (Round 6, Pick 191); Cameron Williams, T, Texas (Round 6, Pick 207); Antwaun Powell-Ryland, Edge, Virginia Tech (Round 6, Pick 209).
The Eagles' visit today marks a significant moment, as they embrace a long-standing tradition that connects sports and politics. As they gather at the White House, the outcome of this visit will be closely watched, especially in light of past controversies surrounding the team and the current political climate.
