President Donald Trump became the first sitting president to attend a regular-season NFL game since Jimmy Carter in 1978, appearing at the Detroit Lions and Washington Commanders matchup this weekend.
During the third quarter, Trump joined the Fox broadcast, discussing his days playing football at New York Military Academy, sharing opinions on quarterbacks, and offering his signature commentary.
“Drew Brees — he threw a ball you could catch,” Trump remarked while chatting with Fox Sports analyst Jonathan Vilma. “I would have liked him as a quarterback.” The president even tried his hand at play-by-play, calling a 2nd-and-7 play for the Commanders inside the red zone. “Let’s see what happens. Not bad,” he said during a three-yard run by Jacory Croskey-Merritt.
When asked why he enjoys attending sporting events, Trump — who was also present at the Super Bowl in February — said sports mirror life. “You have the triumphs, and you have the problems, and you have to get through the problems to reach the triumphs,” he said.
Trump’s appearance came shortly after an ESPN report claimed he wants the Commanders’ new stadium named after him.
In April, Commanders owner Josh Harris, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, and Washington, D.C. mayor Muriel Bowser announced plans for a new $3.7 billion stadium at the RFK site, with $2.7 billion funded by the team and $1 billion by the district.
On the field the players from both teams celebrated Trump being in attendance and it culminated when Lions receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown scored a touchdown, pointed to the luxury box and did the "Trump dance" with his teammates. “I heard Trump was gonna be at the game; I don’t know how many times the president is gonna be at the game, so [I] just decided to have some fun and do his dance,” St. Brown explained.