President Donald Trump held a rally at the White House on Tuesday after canceling the scheduled visited by the Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles. The rally was billed as a “celebration of the American flag with Eagles fans.” With the president saying of the event:
“These fans are still invited to the White House to be part of a different type of ceremony — one that will honor our great country, pay tribute to the heroes who fight to protect it, and loudly and proudly play the national anthem.”
Here is a quick look at what happened:
At his Celebration of America event, Trump doesn't appear to know the words to "God Bless America." pic.twitter.com/fzwe1gFejM
— David Mack (@davidmackau) June 5, 2018
Eagles fans were hard to spot at the White House.
It’s unclear how many Eagles fans actually attended the replacement event, though sources on the ground indicate the “fans” that were there might not have been die-hard.
I’ve asked 6 of the “fans” at the White House who was the @Eagles quarterback during the super bowl. Not ONE person knew. @NBCPhiladelphia
— Tim Furlong (@tfurlong) June 5, 2018
Asked a few attendees if they were Birds fans and they looked at me quizzically, which sort of answered the question.
— Ryan J. Reilly (@ryanjreilly) June 5, 2018
Trump said the Eagles were “abandoning their fans,” but, by all appearances, not many fans were there.
Not exactly sure who these @Eagles “fans” are but I have counted exactly one item of clothing with an eagles logo on it at the White House. #Eagles #EaglesNation @NBCPhiladelphia pic.twitter.com/XAo9u6L2F2
— Tim Furlong (@tfurlong) June 5, 2018
Someone took a knee.
There was one recorded protestor at the event who booed when the president walked to the podium. Another was kneeling during the national anthem.
At The White House. One guy in the audience took a knee during the national anthem at President Trumps celebration of America no Eagles event. Left right after - didn’t wanna talk pic.twitter.com/NLRGp26gln
— Jesper Zølck (@zolckTv2) June 5, 2018
The White House has not issued a statement on whether their ceremony was a success. The NFL brought this issue on themselves, and now have become a reliable way for the president to excite his base at the league’s expense.