Questions have arisen regarding whether the Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles will visit the White House to commemorate their victory. President Donald Trump confirmed to The Spectator on Friday that the Eagles will indeed make the trip. “They’re coming here. Philadelphia is coming here,” Trump stated. However, the team has yet to officially announce its plans for the visit. After winning their first Super Bowl during Trump’s first term in 2018, the Eagles declined his invitation to the White House.
On Tuesday, Trump mentioned that he would extend an invitation to the team. “They will be [invited]. We haven’t yet, but we will be,” he said. “I thought it was a great performance by them. Absolutely, they’ll be extended an invitation. We’ll do it right away. We’ll do it some time today. They deserve to be down here, and we hope to see them.”
The day following the Super Bowl, veteran offensive lineman Lane Johnson indicated that the decision to visit the White House would be made as a team. Johnson was part of the 2018 Super Bowl squad that had its invitation rescinded by Trump after some players opted not to attend due to his criticism of those who protested during the national anthem against racial injustice and police brutality.
At that time, Trump issued a statement regarding the cancellation of the invitation, asserting that “the 1,000 fans planning to attend the event deserve better.” He added, “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.