Rips Eagles in Supe ‘tribute’
PRESIDENT TRUMP taunted the Super Bowlwinning Philadelphia Eagles on Tuesday as he kept up his disinformation campaign against players who choose to protest during the national anthem and held a “patriotism” event at the White House.
Trump defended his decision to call an audible and abruptly disinvite the NFL champs from visiting the White House after some Eagles stars declined to attend over the President’s repeated trashing of players who kneel during the anthem.
Instead, Trump ignored protests of police brutality and staged a “Celebration of America” featuring music provided by military bands.
The President said at the event on the South Lawn that it’s time to “explain why young Americans stand for our national anthem.”
Trump sang along to “The Star-Spangled Banner,” but then struggled to stay with the Marine Band and the Army Chorus as they delivered a rousing version of “God Bless America.”
The President didn’t seem to remember the words to the patriotic Irving Berlin-penned tune.
A protester at the event was booed by Trump supporters after shouting that the President was “hiding behind the armed services.”
Earlier, Trump tweeted out a list of several championship teams from various sports that have come to the White House during his presidency, including the Houston Astros, Pittsburgh Penguins, New England Patriots, college sports teams and NASCAR winners.
He did not mention the fact that last year, championship teams from both the NBA and the NCAA skipped out on stopping by the South Lawn for a photo op, or that several of Team USA’s biggest stars bailed on posing for a photo with the President in April after the Winter Olympics in South Korea.
The White House blamed the Eagles Trump’s decision to cancel the celebration.
It was the team “who changed their commitment at the last minute,” press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said, calling it a “political stunt.”
Trump has continuously miscast players protesting racial injustice during the national anthem at NFL games as anti-American and anti-military.
The President said in a statement Monday that some Eagles players “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.”
However, fewer than 10 players planned to attend, a team source told the Philadelphia Inquirer and Daily News.
The President was furious when he learned how for