The Eagles went to the White House, but some players skipped the visit; Trump weighs in on Tush Push; Big Dom speaks

The fact that a mere “um” uttered by the quarterback was of more than passing interest signaled that the Philadelphia Eagles’ visit to the White House wasn’t going to be the typical winners-go-to-Washington photo opportunity.

And it wasn’t. The first person that President Donald Trump summoned to the podium during the ceremony under a pristine April blue sky wasn’t the owner, coach, or a future hall-of-famer, but “Big Dom” DiSandro, the Eagles’ legendary director of security, whom he hailed as a supporter.

Trump also weighed in on a controversy — albeit unrelated to the immigration order he was due to sign later in the day that could have financial impacts on Philadelphia. He endorsed the Eagles’ patented “Tush Push,” which the NFL might ban.

John Killion was born and raised in in Mayfair and now lives in Florida but “the Eagles have been my team since I was a little kid,” he said as "Philadelphia Freedom" played in the background after the Eagles' event ended.

Killion's son worked for Donald Trump's campaign in Bucks County and scored tickets for the South Lawn along with his other son, who came down from Philadelphia for the event. Killion said he flew in from Florida to D.C. for the 2018 White House visit that never happened.

“I’m so glad that Jeffrey [Lurie], I know he isn’t politically aligned with Trump, but i’m glad he saw past it,” Killion said.

There were a number of Eagles players missing on the South Lawn while the team celebrated their Super Bowl victory.

Quarterback Jalen Hurts was the most notable absence, but wide receivers A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith also appeared to be no-shows to the event. Other Eagles players who appeared not to make the trip included Brandon Graham, Jordan Davis, and Jalen Carter.

Ahead of the visit, Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie downplayed the politics of visiting President Donald Trump’s White House, and said it was up to individual players if they wanted to attend the celebration.

The Tush Push will be here to stay if President Trump has anything to say about it.

The play, which was tabled at league meetings for another vote in May, has been controversial since the Eagles started running it with Hurts in 2022. The Packers presented the latest proposal to ban the play, which has gained traction among owners and coaches.

But Trump gave the play his endorsement.

Big Dom DiSandro was easy to spot during the broadcast of the Eagles’ visit to the White House.

The Eagles chief security officer was standing in the front row wearing a grey, plaid suit jacket with two chains hanging below his neck paired with his signature hat when President Donald Trump approached him.

“Oh you must be Big Dom, huh,” Trump said as he reached for DiSandro’s hand to greet him when he first arrived.

Pennsylvania representatives in attendance include Sen. Dave McCormick, who was in Philadelphia this morning at the shipyard.

U.S. Reps. Rob Bresnahan, Brian Fitzpatrick, Dan Meuser, Lloyd Smucker and Jeff Van Drew are also here.

State treasurer Stacy Garrity and Pennsylvania Attorney General Dave Sunday were in the crowd.

Before attending Monday’s ceremony at the White House, the Eagles visited the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington, Va.

Among the players in attendance were Lane Johnson, Jordan Mailata, Cooper DeJean, and Dallas Goedert, according to a photo obtained by The Inquirer. Mekhi Becton and Rick Lovato, who left the Eagles in free agency, were also part of the group.

At 4 p.m., the Eagles are scheduled to appear at the White House for a ceremony with President Donald Trump on the South Lawn.

The Philadelphia Eagles’ meeting with President Donald Trump Monday afternoon falls on a big immigration-enforcement themed day at the White House.

Large posters with the mug shots of undocumented immigrants who have been arrested are lining the lawn along the White House driveway.

Monday morning kicked off with a press conference in which reporters were handed large packets of 100 ICE arrests with details on the people detained and the crimes they are accused of, or were found guilty of, committing.

Saquon Barkley doesn’t want to hear from critics on social media after having spent a large part of Sunday with President Donald Trump.

After spending time golfing and hanging out with Trump at his golf course in Bedminster, N.J., Barkley took to social media to respond to critics of his trip.

In a post on X shared Monday morning, Barkley didn’t reveal political beliefs but said his respect for the office of the president was “not a hard concept to understand.” He also pointed out he played golf recently with former President Barack Obama, which happened in October at Merion Golf Club at the invite of Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie. 

Eagles running back Saquon Barkely spent part of Sunday with President Donald Trump at his golf course in Bedminster, N.J., and flew with him on Air Force One back to Washington, D.C.

Barkley rode from Morristown Airport to Joint Base Andrews with Trump on Air Force One and then continued riding with him on Marine One to the South Lawn of the White House.

Barkley got off of the plane with a few other people including a boy carrying a football, who Trump hugged, according to pool reports.

That remains unclear.

So far, the only Eagles player we know won't be in attendance is Super Bowl MVP Jalen Hurts.

No Eagles players have said outright they’ll skip the White House visit. Most Birds players have not made their political views public, even leading up to the 2024 election.

The reigning Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles’ visit to the White House on Monday will be a redo of a visit that never happened in 2018.

The Eagles notably did not attend the White House that year following their Super Bowl win, the first in franchise history. President Donald Trump rescinded the team invite that year after several players spoke critically of him and suggested they would skip the visit. 

This time around, there was some question of whether the team would go – and while there’s still uncertainty about whether Super Bowl MVP quarterback Jalen Hurts will attend, the drama seems considerably subdued compared to seven years ago.