Amid Controversy, Trump Cancels Eagles’ White House Celebration

In a move that has been politically divisive, Donald Trump cancelled the planned celebration for the Philadelphia Eagles at the White House that was set to take place yesterday.

It is a tradition in the NFL that, after winning the Super Bowl, the league champions go to the White House to meet the president and enjoy a celebration in their honor. This year, however, there has been dissent between Trump’s administration and many members of the National Football League, Eagles included. The conflict stems from some players refusing to stand for the national anthem, instead taking a knee to show their peaceful protestation of the way that people of color are being treated in America today. Under strong pressure from the NFL administration, the League very recently declared that all players on the field must stand for the anthem, or face penalties and possibly expulsion.

Then there is the fact that many Eagles players, between the national anthem controversy and their disagreement with other policies made by the Trump administration, had declined to go on the trip to the White House anyway. Fewer than ten players planned to attend. Trump took to Twitter to lambast the players after having cancelled the planned Eagles meeting. He said that an alternate celebration would be held for fans who were in town to attend the Eagles’ meeting with the president.

Mayor Jim Kenney of Philadelphia, never a fan of Trump, came out swinging in defense of the Eagles: “These are players who stand up for the causes they believe in and who contribute in meaningful ways to their community. They represent the diversity of our nation — a nation in which we are free to express our opinions,” Kenney said in a statement. “Disinviting them from the White House only proves that our President is not a true patriot, but a fragile egomaniac obsessed with crowd size and afraid of the embarrassment of throwing a party to which no one wants to attend.”