No matter if it is the reigning champs Kansas City Chiefs or 2018 winners the Philadelphia Eagles who triumph today at Super Bowl LIX, Donald Trump has already scored a political touchdown.
“That’s history in the building,” the Fox team declared as Trump walked on to the field at the Super Dome just before kickoff. Shaking hands with the Chiefs’ Chris Jones, Trump then held a very public meet and greet with some of the family members of victims in the January 1 attack on Bourbon Street and emergency responders who were there that terrible morning.
Donald Trump poses with family members of victims of the NOLA New Year’s Day attack and emergency responders prior to Super Bowl LIX
Arriving at Air Station Joint Reserve Base New Orleans on Air Force One with the full pageantry of the presidency at his back, Trump made news on the plane with more on taking over Canada, Elon Musk, upcoming tariffs and declaring “Gulf of America Day.”
Taking over the Super Bowl and getting in the household of a vast number of Americans today is a classic Trump move.
Heavy handed, self-aggrandizing hype and a near certain success in doing what any other major American politician would have been afraid to do. Case in point, while still in the 2024 race for the White House, Joe Biden once again turned down a Super Bowl interview that could have been seen by up to 100 million Americans. Today, a prelude to the game and to a Lady Gaga performance on Bourbon Street, Trump doubled down for the biggest audience around.
In that, Homeland Security already declared the Chiefs vs Eagles game a Special Event Assessment Rating (SEAR) Level 1 event last month. Trump’s presence, along with Louisiana native Speaker Mike Johnson attendance, has ramped up the security, with the Secret Service essentially putting the Superdome on lockdown.
While Trump was on the way to NOLA from Florida surrounded by an entourage of Senators, Fox aired its sit-down with POTUS talking to Bret Bair. Starting off with a literally softball question about why Trump decided to be the first president to attend the Super Bowl that quickly slipped over to the influence of Elon Musk, how he really wants to annex Canada and stock market jitters.
As he has in a number of big interviews, Bair lacked almost any follow-up questions, especially over a major geopolitical shift. In all fairness, Bair did bring it all back to the main topic of the day by quizzing Trump about the big game and who he thinks will win. Trump being Trump, he once again praised Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes, and his wife, Brittany for their perceived MAGA support and put his thumb on the scale for Kansas City.
Donald Trump shakes the hand of DT Chris Jones #95 of the Kansas City Chiefs just before the start of Super Bowl LIX
Before the pre-taped interview with Bair aired, the White House released a Super Bowl message from Trump.
Extremely measured by Trump standards, the missive said in part:
Football is America’s most popular sport—for good reason—it fosters a sense of national unity, bringing families, friends, and fans together and strengthening communities. This annual tradition transcends our differences and personifies our shared patriotic values of family, faith, and freedom heroically defended by our military service members, law enforcement officers, and first responders. We value their devotion to protecting our great Nation and salute their selfless service.
This year, the Super Bowl returns to the Caesars Superdome for a record setting 8th time. While thousands of fans from across our Nation gather in New Orleans to cheer on their favorite team, we remember that 14 families will be missing a loved one who was tragically murdered during a senseless terrorist attack while celebrating the New Year on Bourbon Street. Our thoughts are also with the 35 individuals injured during the attack whose lives were changed forever that fateful night, and our prayers will remain with them for continued strength, comfort, and healing.
With snipers on rooftops, military vehicles on the streets and troops and cops everywhere, Trump was scheduled to meet with families of those killed and injured in the horrific New Year’s Day attack in NOLA. However, White House pool reports had Trump heading straight to the stadium this afternoon — where he had his photo taken with the family members.
Add to the protective net over the Super Dome, Eagles fans and former First Lady Dr. Jill Biden is in the stadium, as is Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce’s love and slightly well-known songwriter Taylor Swift. Neither women are friendly with Trump nor fans of the 45th and now 47th president.
Also expected to be in the Superdome Sunday are Timothée Chalamet, Miles Teller, Paul Rudd, Bradley Cooper, Pete Davidson, and Jason Sudeikis. Kendrick Lamar and SZA who are performing in the Apple Music sponsored halftime show will be there too. With Roc Nation producing its sixth Super Bowl halftime show this year, Jay-Z is set to be in NOLA also.
To that, the Secret Service are going to be running a Michael Bay directed recruiting ad during the Fox broadcast game today. Among other scenes of JFK and Ronald Reagan, the ad features a photograph of agents surrounding Trump during the assassination attempt in Butler, PA during last year’s election:
On January 31, Transformers helmer Bay met briefly with Trump on the tarmac at Joint Base Andrews as the ex-Celebrity Apprentice host was on his way to Mar-a-Lago. Now, with Trump reposting the ads on X Sunday, we likely know what Bay was doing there and what they were talking about.
