• The Philadelphia Eagles will attend a White House ceremony to celebrate the team’s Super Bowl victory. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt made the April visit official during a press briefing.
• During his first term, President Trump canceled the Eagles Super Bowl LII event after learning that only a few players were set to attend.
• The Eagles will be the latest team to attend a White House championship event, with the ceremonies dating back decades.

Full Story

The Philadelphia Eagles have accepted President Donald Trump’s invitation to attend the White House for a ceremony celebrating the team’s Super Bowl LIX victory. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt made it official during the media briefing Tuesday, March 11.

“April 28, I can confirm that the Philadelphia Eagles will be here at the White House to celebrate their Super Bowl victory,” Leavitt said.

It’s still not known which Eagles players will be in attendance, or how many will appear with President Trump. But it’s certainly a turn from the last time the Eagles received an invitation from a Trump White House.

Download the SAN app today to stay up-to-date with Unbiased. Straight Facts™.

Point phone camera here

What happened the last time the Eagles won the Super Bowl?

After defeating the New England Patriots in the 2018 Super Bowl, the team did not go to the White House. During the season, Eagles players like Malcolm Jenkins spoke out against social injustice.

Jenkins declined Trump’s invite and said he was looking for a sit-down with the president rather than a photo op.

After learning that only a few of the players agreed to attend, the president canceled the Eagles event.

Trump released a statement saying in part:

“The Philadelphia Eagles are unable to come to the White House with their full team to be celebrated tomorrow. 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.”

Trump held a ceremony titled “The Celebration of America,” honoring the country and its heroes, instead of the Super Bowl victory event. At the time, White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders, now the governor of Arkansas, described the Eagles’ move as a political stunt.

During a press briefing, she was questioned about the president’s remarks of using the national anthem protests as a reason to cancel the event. The reporter pointed out that the Eagles were part of those instances.

“On the president’s decision to disinvite the Eagle, he’s suggesting this is about the national anthem. Is the president aware not a single player on the Eagles through the entire season knelt for the national anthem?” the reporter asked.

“The president’s position on not just the anthem has been clear, but let’s not forget this isn’t… There were 80 members of the Eagles organization that RSVP’d and committed to attend this event as recently as Friday, as well as over a thousand fans of the Eagles organization, and the Eagles are the ones that tried to change their commitment at the eleventh hour,” Sanders said.

The New England Patriots were the only NFL team to attend a White House ceremony during President Trump’s first term. While no NBA team made an appearance — with Trump ultimately withdrawing his 2017 invitation to the Golden State Warriors before the team made its official decision — other professional sports teams did celebrate their championships with the president at the White House.

Those teams included the Boston Red Sox, Chicago Cubs and Pittsburgh Penguins.

Why are these celebrations a White House tradition?

According to ESPN, the tradition of sports teams visiting the president at the White House dates back to Andrew Johnson in 1865.

The first World Series champion visitors, the 1924 Washington Senators, met with Calvin Coolidge. John F. Kennedy was the first president to welcome NBA champions — the Boston Celtics in 1963.

Jimmy Carter was the president for the first Super Bowl champion visitors — the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1980.

However, it was Ronald Reagan, as ESPN reports, who made the championship celebration a regular occasion at the White House.

“The New York Giants played great football this year, but they also had fun. That kind of spirit has always marked the great Giants teams. That’s why our fans, your fans I should say, have been so loyal for so many years. I don’t have many fans anymore,” Reagan joked during the 1987 celebration.

What about the reports of the Eagles not attending this year?

After the Eagles defeated the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LIX last month, there was speculation regarding whether players would show up for their White House appearance. However, despite social media rumors and other reports, both the Eagles and the president indicated in recent days that they would be open to holding the ceremonial event.

“I know there was a lot of fake news about an invitation that wasn’t sent or was sent. We want to correct the record,” Leavitt said. “We sent an invitation. They enthusiastically accepted, and you will see them here on April 28.”

Get up to speed on the stories leading the day every weekday morning. Sign up for the newsletter today!

Learn more about our emails. Unsubscribe anytime.

Enter your email for newsletter updates Subscribe

By entering your email, you agree to the Terms & Conditions and acknowledge the Privacy Policy.

A spokesperson for the Eagles also confirmed that the team will be there.

President Trump was in attendance for the Eagles’ 40-22 Super Bowl LIX victory over the Chiefs, becoming the first sitting president to attend the NFL’s big game.