In a New Orleans sealed off by the presence of Donald Trump in the stands, the Super Bowl saw the Philadelphia Eagles triumph over the Kansas City Chiefs 40-22 .
But beyond the sporting result, the attention in the Louisiana city, this year home to the most followed sporting event in the world, was for the presence for the first time of President Trump, the first sitting president to participate in a Super Bowl. In the stands cheering on the Chiefs (Patrick Mahomes "great quarterback", his wife who "roots for the Maga"), Trump left the stadium early.
Trump has repeatedly posted on social media about his Super Bowl appearance, but has not revealed who he was rooting for . The president and the National Football League have a long history: Trump once owned the now-defunct USFL, the league that attempted to challenge the NFL and made a bid to buy the Buffalo Bills. In his first term, he harshly criticized NFL players who kneeled during the national anthem in protest of excessive police force. And more recently, he criticized rule changes to minimize injury risk.
Taylor Swift booed
In recent months, Trump has also lashed out at one of the stars in the stands, Taylor Swift . The singer has been targeted by the incumbent president for having supported Kamala Harris during the election race. And Swift, who is engaged to Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, who could retire from sports next year, was booed by the crowd, who decidedly favored the Eagles. Taylor was visibly taken aback.
Trump vs. Taylor Swift
After the game, Trump mocked both Swift and her team in a post on “Truth,” attributing the boos to supporters of his “Make America Great Again” (MAGA) movement. “The only person who had a worse night than the Kansas City Chiefs was Taylor Swift. She was booed out of the stadium. MAGA is unforgiving!” Trump wrote. During the game, Trump posted videos of Swift being booed and him receiving applause.
For NFL fans, Taylor Swift has become a controversial figure over the past year after her relationship with Kelce came to light in September 2023. She began attending most Chiefs games, and whenever she was in attendance, NFL broadcast cameras focused on her multiple times per game. The pop star has been credited with bringing a new wave of fans to the Chiefs and the NFL as a whole, especially among female fans. However, many longtime NFL fans have grown tired of seeing her on the field.
Former first lady Jill Biden was also in the stands at the Superdome in New Orleans. A Philadelphia Eagles fan, she was accompanied by her nephew but not her husband. Other celebrities who attended the event included Apple's Tim Cook and Rupert Murdoch , whose Fox had the game live this year, and Jay-Z with his daughters Blue Ivy and Rumi.
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