The Philadelphia Eagles captured their second Super Bowl title by throttling the Kansas City Chiefs 40-22 in Super Bowl 59. The Eagles took it to the back-to-back champs in every facet of the game and emphatically declared themselves the best team in the NFL.
A long-standing tradition is for the Super Bowl-winning team to be invited to visit the White House and meet the current president. While the sitting President Donald Trump canceled the team’s visit in his first term in 2018 when they won their first Super Bowl title, he confirmed that the Eagles would “absolutely be invited” this year.
President Donald Trump Confirms Eagles Will Be Invited To White House After Super Bowl 59 Win
Jimmy Carter began the tradition of the president inviting championship teams to the White House when he brought in the 1979 Pittsburgh Steelers. The team gifted President Carter with a terrible towel, and the Super Bowl champion has gone to the White House nearly every year since.
The tradition is very likely to continue this year after Donald Trump confirmed that the Eagles will receive an invitation to visit the White House.
The President was in attendance during Super Bowl 59 in New Orleans and praised Philadelphia’s commanding win over the Chiefs, saying they deserved a visit.
“They will be [invited],” President Trump said in the Oval Office on Tuesday. “We haven’t yet, but we will be. I thought it was a great performance by them. Absolutely, they’ll be extended an invitation. We’ll do it right away, we’ll do it some time today. They deserve to be down here, and we hope to see them.”
President Trump says he will officially be inviting the #Eagles to the White House today. “I thought it was a great performance.. They will absolutely be invited. They deserve to be down here, and we hope to see them.” pic.twitter.com/2k8OlPFV32
— Eagles Nation (@PHLEaglesNation) February 25, 2025
President Trump’s remarks come amid speculations that the Eagles might decline the invitation. However, both the White House and the Philadephia Eagles have refuted the rumors, with one of the team sources telling SI’s Albert Breer that they would be honored to make a visit.
President Trump and the Eagles Have History
Following the franchise’s first-ever Super Bowl victory in 2018, President Trump canceled the team’s scheduled White House visit after a group of players, led by Malcolm Jenkins and Chris Long, backed out of the event due to their opposition to the President’s stance against kneeling for the national anthem.
President Trump had previously urged team owners to fire players who didn’t stand for the anthem, and many athletes took issue with his open vitriol towards their protest for racial and social justice.
“The Philadelphia Eagles are unable to come to the White House with their full team to be celebrated tomorrow. They disagree with their President because he insists that they proudly stand for the National Anthem, hand on heart, in honor of the great men and women of our military and the people of our country,” the President said in a statement.
“The Eagles wanted to send a smaller delegation, but the 1,000 fans planning to attend the event deserve better.”
Only four players remain from the 2017 Eagles team: Lane Johnson, Brandon Graham, Jake Elliot, and Rick Lovato. According to Johnson, the Eagles will make a decision as a team.
“I’d be honored to go, regardless of who the president is, but we’ll see. It’s ultimately a team decision. I’ll do what’s best for the team,” Johnson, the team captain, said in an interview with Sportico.
Reading the tea leaves, the report from Eagles officials that Philadelphia would be honored to visit the White House seems to indicate that a team decision has been made and that the team will meet with President Trump at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue to continue the longtime tradition and celebrate their Super Bowl 59 victory.