Tom Brady jokes with President Biden at ceremony

WASHINGTON — Tom Brady, a U.S. football legend and longtime friend of Donald Trump, gently ribbed the former president and his false claims of election fraud in a White House visit Tuesday.

The 43-year-old quarterback joined the rest of his Tampa Bay Buccaneers at the White House on Tuesday to celebrate their Super Bowl victory with President Joe Biden.

Wearing a dark suit and sunglasses, Brady stood nearby as Biden hailed the team that beat the Kansas City Chiefs in the Feb. 7 Super Bowl, his first with Tampa Bay after winning six for the New England Patriots.

Brady took to the lectern and joked about Trump's baseless claims of voter fraud, which have convinced many Republicans that Biden did not win the election, and his description of Biden as "Sleepy Joe," without mentioning Trump by name.

Brady said his team's performance took off after starting last year's NFL season with a tepid 7-5 record.

"We found our rhythm, we got on a roll," Brady said. "Not a lot of people, you know, think that we could have won. About 40% of the people still don't think we won."

"You understand that, Mr. President?" Brady asked Biden.

"I understand that," said Biden to laughter. (Reuters)