Reaction is coming in after Donald Trump decided to cancel the Philadelphia Eagles Super Bowl celebration at the White House today. The President addressed it in this tweet.
The Philadelphia Eagles Football Team was invited to the White House. Unfortunately, only a small number of players decided to come, and we canceled the event. Staying in the Locker Room for the playing of our National Anthem is as disrespectful to our country as kneeling. Sorry!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 5, 2018
Many are analyzing and fact-checking that tweet.
President Trump’s statement said tomorrow’s White House ceremony instead will honor people who “loudly and proudly play our national anthem.”
However, not a single @Eagles player kneeled during the national anthem this past NFL season.https://t.co/yXGLqyTIsY
— Frank Luntz (@FrankLuntz) June 5, 2018
No Eagles ever kneeled, and the NFL has changed its rules — not that either fact matters as president continues to push a grievance he sees as politically beneficial to him. https://t.co/vNe8fGFuY7
— Scott Detrow (@scottdetrow) June 5, 2018
There are a lot of people on the team that have plenty of different views. The men and women that wanted to go should’ve been able to go. It’s a cowardly act to cancel the celebration because the majority of the people don’t want to see you. To make it about the anthem is foolish
— Torrey Smith (@TorreySmithWR) June 4, 2018
One of the people not letting Donald Trump get away with false statements over the Eagles is Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney. He is making some of the strongest statements against Trump that we have seen from a politician.
I’m proud of the Eagles on & off the field. Our players represent the diversity of our nation—a nation where we're free to express our opinions. Disinviting them only proves the President is not a true patriot.
City Hall is always open for a celebration. https://t.co/kU7LZkBNin
— Jim Kenney (@PhillyMayor) June 5, 2018
During this exchange this morning on CNN with anchor Jon Berman, it was clear Kenney thinks Trump’s behavior goes well beyond disinviting the Eagles to the White House:
Berman: “Do you feel like some of the players, even if they disagreed with the President, should have gone to the White House in a show of unity, maybe take the opportunity to make your case directly to the President?”
Kenney: “I don’t know how you can make your case to a child, who acts childish, who changes his opinion and his statements every single day and who frankly frightens me more than I was frightened in 1968 during the height of the Vietnam war. The guy is just a scary guy and… hopefully by the time he is gone we can recover from this mess, but this is a bad time in our country.”
Watch the rest of what Kenney said above.
As for the Eagles official response, they aren’t addressing Trump directly. Instead, they are thanking their community.
— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) June 5, 2018
