Trump booed at Commanders NFL game before calling plays from Fox broadcast booth | NFL
Donald Trump attended the Detroit Lions’ win over the Washington Commanders on Sunday, becoming the first U.S. president to attend a regular-season NFL game in nearly 50 years.
There were boos There were cheers from large sections of fans and scattered chants at Commanders’ Northwest Stadium when Trump appeared on screens late in the first half and the president was introduced by the stadium announcer at halftime. While the Washington D.C. area has strong Democratic support, Trump’s cuts to the government have affected many workers around the Commanders’ stadium. Sunday wasn’t the first time Trump received a hostile reception from Washington sports crowds: He was greeted with chants of ‘lock him up’ at the Washington Nationals’ home stadium during the 2019 World Series.
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The mockery continued while Trump recited the oath to the military members as part of the ceremony on the field during the break in the match.
The president came to the stadium after the match started. “I’m a little late,” Trump told reporters as he stepped off Air Force One. The plane had completed a flyover of Northwest Stadium before landing.
“We’re going to play a good game. Things are going very well. The country is doing well. Democrats need to bring it up,” he said, referring to the government shutdown.
In the first quarter, Lions kicker Amon-Ra St Brown celebrated catching a touchdown by doing the “Trump dance”. Which athletes started performing last year.
“I heard Trump was going to [here]” said St Brown. “I don’t know how many times the president will attend the game, so I decided to have some fun.”
Lions quarterback Jared Goff said he enjoyed seeing Air Force One flyby. “It’s amazing to have it here,” Goff said.
Fox then gave the president about 10 minutes of air time as he joined the broadcast booth, talked about his high school football career and talked about some of the action from the third quarter. When asked how the country was doing, the president replied somewhat skeptically that prices for Americans were falling. He also admitted that he didn’t score a goal in high school, saying: “At least you understand that I never lie.”
According to the league, Trump became the third president to attend an NFL game during the regular season, after Richard Nixon in 1969 and Jimmy Carter in 1978.
The White House told the Commanders’ ownership group that Trump wants the team’s new stadium to bear his name, according to a report by ESPN on Saturday.
“They’re going to build a nice stadium. That’s what I’m involved in, we’re getting all the approvals and everything else,” Trump said during an appearance on Fox. “And you have a great owner, Josh. [Harris] and his group. And you will see many beautiful things.”
Sunday’s visit was the latest in a series of Trump appearances at high-profile sporting events, including the Ryder Cup, the Daytona 500 and the U.S. Open men’s final in tennis.
“We are honored to welcome President Trump to the game as we celebrate those who have served and continue to serve our country,” Commanders president Mark Clouse said. “The entire Commanders organization is proud to participate in the NFL’s league-wide Salute to Service initiative and recognize the dedication and sacrifice of our nation’s veterans, active-duty service members and their families this Sunday.”
Trump was likely unimpressed with the performance of the Commanders, who suffered a 44-22 defeat; He left the game early.
