PHILADELPHIA — President Donald Trump has organized a White House event on Monday to welcome the 2025 Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles. However, a number of players, including quarterback Jalen Hurts, have opted out of attending the celebration.
Hurts and other players have indicated that scheduling conflicts are behind their decision to skip the event. This information was shared by a White House official who preferred not to disclose their identity.
During his initial term, Trump initially extended an invitation to the Eagles in 2018 for a similar celebration, only to withdraw it later when it was apparent that most players would not be in attendance. Ultimately, he arranged a brief “Celebration of America” in lieu of the canceled event.
Asked by a reporter on the red carpet of the Time magazine gala last week whether he would take part in the White House visit, Hurts responded with an awkward “um” and long silence before walking away.
Eagles star running back Saquon Barkley visited Trump over the weekend at Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, New Jersey, and caught a ride with the president to Washington on Air Force One and then to the White House on Marine One.
Saquon Barkley spent the day golfing with President Trump at Trump National in Bedminster on Sunday, and the pair flew from New Jersey to D.C. afterwards.
Trump told reporters on Sunday that he thought Barkley was a “nice guy.”
Barkley, meanwhile, pushed back on social media criticism for spending time with Trump. He noted that he has golfed with former President Barack Obama, a Democrat.
“Maybe I just respect the office, not a hard concept to understand,” Barkley posted on X.
Barkley ran away with the Offensive Player of the Year award this past season after rushing for 2,005 yards, eighth-best in NFL history. It was his first season with the Eagles.
Trump attended the Eagles decisive Super Bowl victory in New Orleans over the Kansas City Chiefs. He predicted ahead of the game the Chiefs would win, and offered lavish praise for Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
After the game, Trump mocked pop star Taylor Swift, who is dating Mahomes’ teammate Travis Kelce. Swift faced boos from some fans at one point during the game when she appeared on the Jumbotron.
Swift had endorsed Trump’s Democratic opponent, Kamala Harris, in the 2024 election.
“The only one that had a tougher night than the Kansas City Chiefs was Taylor Swift. She got BOOED out of the Stadium. MAGA is very unforgiving!” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.
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