Philadelphia Eagles star and Super Bowl winner Saquon Barkley took to social media on Monday to respond to the online backlash that came his way after he was spotted hanging out with US president Donald Trump on Sunday.
Per CNN, Barkley spending time with Trump came after the Philadelphia Eagles accepted to visit the White House on Monday to celebrate their Super Bowl LIX victory over the Kansas City Chiefs.
Barkley, 28, and Trump were spotted alighting from the Marine One in New Jersey and seemingly exchanging pleasantries while walking side by side.
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“What a nice guy,” Trump, 78, said in reference to Barkley while speaking to reporters at the airport. “I wanted to race him, but I decided not to do it.”
Trump and Barkley later made their way into the Air Force One. The pair were also spotted hanging out at the Trump National Golf Club in New Jersey, per CNN.
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After the photos and videos of the pair hanging out were circulated on social media, Barkley received backlash. But the 28-year-old defended his actions.
“Lol some people are really upset cause I played golfed and flew to the White House with the PRESIDENT,” he wrote on X. “Maybe I just respect the office, not a hard concept to understand. Just golfed with Obama not too long ago…and look forward to finishing my round with Trump ! Now ya get out my mentions with all this politics and have amazing day.”
Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts skipped Monday’s visit to the White House. His absence came after he gave a silent response when he was asked if he was going to honor the visit during a red carpet interview for the 2025 TIME 100 gala on Thursday.
The Eagles’ visit to the White House also came after they opted not to honor that invitation when they won the Super Bowl in 2018. Trump, who was president at the time, criticised their decision. But he took a different tone this time around and showered praises on the team during Monday’s visit.
