Donald Trump disinvited the Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles from their scheduled White House visit Tuesday after learning that only a small group of players planned to attend. The president cited national anthem protests as the reason some Eagles players intended to skip the event.
This isn’t the first time a team has skipped its White House visit, as Trump also disinvited the Golden State Warriors earlier this year following their 2017 NBA Finals win. But perhaps nothing angered Trump quite like his friend, Tom Brady, skipping the New England Patriots’ visit in April 2017.
Here’s what Josh Dawsey and Wesley Lowery wrote in an article published Monday on The Washington Post’s website:
Trump grew angry in April 2017 when Tom Brady said he planned to skip the White House visit with the Patriots, huddling angrily with aides and even calling Patriots owner Robert Kraft. One former senior administration official described a chaotic scene unfolding over the heartlands of America, as Trump flew back from an event in Wisconsin. Trump made a number of calls and asked aides to help fix the situation, worried that Brady’s absence would reflect poorly on him.
Brady later said he skipped the event to be with his ailing mother, while another half-dozen Patriots skipped to protest Trump.
Eventually, Trump was calmed down, and the Patriots came to the White House.
Trump has pointed out his friendship with Brady countless times over the years, especially leading up to the 2016 election. Brady, meanwhile, has been guarded about his relationship with the polarizing POTUS, and evidently, Trump wasn’t too thrilled with the Patriots quarterback turning down his invitation after New England’s Super Bowl LI win over the Atlanta Falcons.
