Trump’s party minus honoured guests
Taking on the NFL and football’s Super Bowl champs, President Donald Trump gave the boot to a White House ceremony for the Philadelphia Eagles yesterday and instead threw his own brief ‘‘Celebration of America’’ after it became clear most players weren’t going to show up.
Both sides traded accusations about who was to blame.
Trump tried to turn the fracas into a referendum on patriotism and tie it to the dispute over players who have taken a knee during the national anthem to protest racism and police brutality. However, Eagles players never knelt during the StarSpangled Banner, throughout the 2017 season and their march to the Super Bowl.
The White House accused Eagles team members of pulling a ‘‘political stunt’’ and abandoning their fans by backing out at the last minute. Indeed, few apparently were going to come, though some expressed disappointment that they had been disinvited and complained Trump was unfairly painting them as anti-American.
Through it all, Trump appeared to revel in fanning the flames of a culture war that he believes revs up his political base.
Trump had long been leery of the Eagles’ planned visit to the White House, in part because the team’s owner, Jeffrey Lurie, has been a Trump critic, and because several players have been vocal critics of the league’s new policy that requires players to stand if they are on the field during the national anthem or else stay in the locker room.
White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders said the team notified the White House last week that 81 people, including players, coaches, managers and others would be attending the Super Bowl celebration. But she said the team got back in touch late Friday and tried to reschedule, ‘‘citing the fact that many players would not be in attendance.’’ The Eagles proposed a time when Trump would be overseas.
Eagles officials declined comment on the White House version of events, sticking with a simple earlier statement: ‘‘We are truly grateful for all of the support we have received and we are looking forward to continuing our preparations for the 2018 season.’’
No-one connected with the team said the players’ reluctance to attend had anything to do with the national anthem, as Trump tried to portray the situation. And comments by star players in the current pro basketball finals indicated it’s not about football.
‘‘I know no matter who wins this series, no-one wants the invite anyway. So it won’t be Golden State or Cleveland going,’’ said LeBron James of the Cleveland Cavaliers. There was no disagreement from Stephen Curry, who angered Trump last year when he said he wouldn’t go to the White House after the Warriors’ NBA triumph, leading the president to disinvite him and his team. – AP