Pennsylvania Congressman and Philadelphia native Brendan Boyle is blasting President Donald Trump for inviting the Kansas City Chiefs to the White House as a sort of ‘participation trophy.’
The Philadelphia Eagles recently received and accepted an invite to the White House to celebrate February’s Super Bowl LIX win over the Chiefs. However, Trump has since revealed he’s also extended a similar invitation to members of the 2019 Chiefs, who were denied a White House visit by the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.
In a statement released this week, Boyle rejected Trump’s distinction between that Super Bowl-champion Chiefs squad and the largely similar team that fell to the Eagles back in February. Furthermore, he accused the Patrick Mahomes admirer of giving the Chiefs a ‘participation trophy.’
‘Donald Trump is inviting the Super Bowl losing team, Kansas City Chiefs, to the White House. It’s pathetic — a full-blown White House participation trophy,’ Boyle said in his statement. ‘I thought Republicans didn’t believe in participation trophies.
‘President Trump claims it’s because the Chiefs won the Super Bowl four years ago,’ Boyle continued. ‘But let’s be real: Trump backed the Chiefs this year, they lost badly to the Eagles, and now he’s throwing a fake celebration to cope. The Eagles crushed the Chiefs. No stunt or staged photo op will change that. Fly Eagles Fly.’
Trump recently revealed he will host Travis Kelce and the Chiefs at the White House after their 2020 visit was canceled due to the pandemic.
President Donald Trump shakes the hand of Chiefs DT Chris Jones before Super Bowl LIX
Pennsylvania Congressman and Philadelphia native Brendan Boyle is blasting President Donald Trump for inviting the Kansas City Chiefs to the White House as a sort of ‘participation trophy’
Speaking to Outkick’s Clay Travis on Air Force One on Saturday night, Trump said: ‘I look forward to having the Eagles. And one other thing, we’re going to have the Kansas City Chiefs after that because they missed their turn because of COVID.’
The Chiefs have yet to comment publicly on the president’s statement, and no date has yet been set for their invite.
There had been some mystery over whether the Eagles would accept an invite, and if the White House had even extended an invitation, but Trump’s press secretary Karoline Levitt finally cleared that up earlier this month.
‘I know there was a lot of fake news about an invitation that wasn’t sent or was sent, we want to correct the record: we sent an invitation, they enthusiastically accepted, and you will see them here on April 28,’ said Levitt.
The President attended the Eagles’ victory over the Chiefs in New Orleans but left the game early to fly back to his home in Palm Beach, Florida at an estimated cost of somewhere between $8million and $20 million taxpayer dollars.
Trump previously disinvited the Eagles from the customary Super Bowl-champion White House visit during his first term in 2018. Philadelphia was coming off its first Super Bowl victory, but when Trump learned several players planned on skipping the event, he cancelled it altogether.
What’s more, Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie has a record of supporting left-leaning politicians, such as Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, although he previously donated to Republicans George W. Bush and Arlen Specter as well.
Jalen Hurts #1 of the Philadelphia Eagles reacts as he holds the Vince Lombardi Trophy
Patrick Mahomes #15 of the Kansas City Chiefs holds up the Vince Lombardi Trophy after winning against the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl LIV on February 2, 2020 in Miami
A Kansas City Chiefs fan wore a mask bearing the likeness of Donald Trump in 2018
The Hunt family, who own the Chiefs, has a history of supporting conservative causes.
Many eyes will be on Kelce if and when the Chiefs do go to the White House, given his girlfriend Taylor Swift’s very public campaigning against Trump before the 2024 election.
While Kelce never publicly endorsed either candidate, Swift was firmly in Kamala Harris and the Democrats’ camp, before they ultimately lost to Trump and the Republicans.
Quarterback Patrick Mahomes’ family members have praised Trump – especially his wife Brittany and mother Randi.
When asked about Brittany and Randi, Trump said: ‘I love those two women. They’re so great and so loyal. I met Patrick’s mother… at the game [the Super Bowl].
‘She came over. And Brittany, I’ve seen so much of Brittany that just, you know, being so loyal and great and beautiful.’
The Chiefs have twice been to the White House in recent years, although both under the Biden administration in 2023 and 2024.
In 2023, Kelce wore a bold red suit as he and Mahomes presented Biden with a personalized Chiefs jersey.
A year later, he joked he was going to get ‘tased’ on stage if he tried to take control of the mic to give a speech.
