Loud booing at Leaders Stadium. Trump on Sunday became the first sitting president to attend a regular-season NFL game when he attended the Washington Commanders’ game against the Detroit Lions.
When the US President arrived, loud boos were heard from some spectators when they saw him appear on the giant screen at the end of the first half – standing in a box with House Speaker Mike Johnson – and also when the stadium announcer introduced him at halftime.
The booing continued when Trump read an oath that military members were required to recite as part of a field recruiting ceremony during recess.
The Washington, D.C., area has strong Democratic support, and Trump’s cuts affected many workers in the area near Commander’s Stadium.
This Sunday was not the first time that Trump received a hostile reception from the public in Washington: he was greeted with chants of “Lock him up!” At the Washington Nationals Stadium during the 2019 World Series of Baseball.
In the first quarter of the game, before Trump arrived, it was Wide receiver (or wide receiver) for the Lions, Amon-Ra St. Brown, had a reception drop Pointing to the stands and waving their arms in the “Trump dance” style that some athletes started doing last year.
During the third quarter, Trump joined Fox commentators Kenny Albert and Jonathan Vilma in a relaxed conversation that lasted about eight minutes. Albert began by asking Trump about his time playing football at the New York Military Academy.
“I played a tight end, but it wasn’t quite like that football. It was a little easier. It wasn’t that hard,” Trump said.
According to the NFL, a president has attended an NFL game only twice during the regular season: Richard Nixon, in 1969; and Jimmy Carter, in 1978. Trump also became the first president to attend a Super Bowl while in the White House, when he witnessed the Philadelphia Eagles’ 40-22 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs last February.
According to a report by ESPN, a White House intermediary told the leaders’ ownership group that Trump wants to name the team’s new stadium — part of a nearly $4 billion project on the site of the former RFK Stadium in the US capital — after him.
In a television appearance on Sunday, Trump discussed the team’s plans to return to Washington: “They’re going to build a beautiful stadium. I’m involved in that; we’re dealing with all the permits and stuff. And they have a great owner, Josh (Harris) and his group. You’re going to see some very good things.”
Sunday’s visit was the latest in a series of Trump appearances at sporting events, including golf’s Ryder Cup, the Daytona 500 auto racing tournament and the US Open tennis tournament.
“I love it. It’s a microcosm of life,” Trump said of sports during Sunday’s broadcast. “It’s like life itself: the good, the bad and the ugly.”
Before the game, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth spoke with Harris — the leader of the group that bought Commanders from Daniel Snyder for about $6 billion in 2023 — and participated in a field ceremony with members of the military.
Hegseth was among those who watched the match with Trump, along with White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, Education Secretary Linda McMahon, and Republican Senator Steve Daines of Montana.
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