Maybe he worried that Taylor Swift was getting too much attention: Donald Trump announced that he will attend the Super Bowl on Sunday, becoming the first sitting president in history to watch the game in person. The U.S. Secret Service released a statement Tuesday confirming “extensive planning and coordination” and hinting at “enhanced security” for attendees.
On Sunday the Kansas City Chiefs will face off against the Philadelphia Eagles in the title game in New Orleans, with a notable change of messaging on the field of the Superdome: For the first time since 2021, the message “End Racism” will not be stenciled on the turf above one of the teams’ end zones. Instead, one end of the field will feature the message “Choose Love,” and the other, as it typically does, “It Takes All Of Us.” The messaging is part of the NFL’s diversity initiative, Inspire Change, which began in 2020.
NFL spokesperson Brian McCarthy said in a statement to CNN that the league is in a position to “capture and lift the imagination of the country” during the telecast. “‘Choose Love’ is appropriate to use in the Super Bowl as our country has endured in recent weeks wildfires in southern California, the terrorist attack here in New Orleans, the plane and helicopter crash near our nation’s capital, and the plane crash in Philadelphia.”
The league maintained that the messaging swap was unrelated to Trump’s plan to attend the game. Notably, Trump has prioritized slashing DEI initiatives across the government in his first days in office.
Swift is expected to be on hand at the game to support boyfriend Travis Kelce and the Chiefs, just as she was last year. Jason Kelce, a retired Eagles player turned sports commentator, and Travis’s older brother and podcast co-host, confirmed in comments to People on Tuesday that the singer would be among the cheer squad.
“I don’t want to speak for everybody, but I think obviously, our whole family [will be there],” Jason said. “I believe, obviously Trav and Taylor, and his family and his friends.”
Swift seems to hold a special fascination for Trump, who during the 2024 election cycle posted AI-generated images implying that the superstar had endorsed him, which she had not. In fact, Swift cited that incident when she publicly pledged her support for his opponent, Kamala Harris. Swift also spoke against Trump in the 2020 election, endorsing Joe Biden.
Travis Kelce has already fielded questions about Swift in pre-Super Bowl press conferences, including back-to-back queries Monday evening about whether he’ll propose to her at the game. On Wednesday, he was asked another potentially uncomfortable question, this one about how he felt about Trump coming to the game.
“That’s awesome. It’s a great honor,” he said. “I think you know, no matter who the president is, I know I’m excited because it’s the biggest game of my life, you know, and having the president there—it’s the best country in the world—and that’s pretty cool.”
Kelce did not publicly endorse a candidate in the 2024 election. Neither did Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, though his wife Brittany Mahomes faced criticism for apparently liking social media posts from Trump’s campaign. A source familiar with Swift and Brittany Mahomes’ friendship told Vanity Fair in September that even with different political beliefs, people can still be friends. Patrick Mahomes commented early in the election cycle that he would not share his choice of candidate, but would only encourage people to vote.
Still, Trump praised both Mahomeses and implied that they were both fans of The Donald in a temper tantrum after Swift’s Harris endorsement.
“Well, I actually like Mrs. Mahomes much better, if you want to know the truth,” Trump said in an interview with Fox & Friends. “She’s a big Trump fan. I was not a Taylor Swift fan. It was only a matter of time. You couldn’t possibly endorse Biden. But she’s a very liberal person. She seems to always endorse a Democrat and she’ll probably pay a price for it in the marketplace. But I like Brittany. Brittany is great. She’s the one I like much better than Taylor Swift. Wife of the great quarterback. I think she’s terrific.”
On Tuesday at the White House, Trump declined to pick a team to root for, saying, “I don’t want to say, but there’s a certain quarterback that seems to be a pretty good winner,” seeming to winkingly reference Patrick Mahomes.
During his own turn in the press conference hot seat Wednesday, Mahomes said that he hadn’t seen the clip of the president, but that it was “cool to hear that he’s seen me play football and that he respects the game I play.”
Also cool, he thought, mirroring the careful non-partisan needle-threading of Kelce’s answer, was the prospect of having the president in the crowd.
“It’s always cool to be able to play in front of a sitting president, someone that is in the top position in our country,” he said.
Representatives for Kelce and Mahomes did not immediately respond to Vanity Fair‘s request for comment.
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The post Travis Kelce Says He’s “Excited” Trump Is Attending Super Bowl, As NFL Removes “End Racism” Message appeared first on Vanity Fair.
