Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley has said “some people are really upset” and should stop contacting him about “all this politics” after he played golf with Donald Trump before visiting the White House with the US president.
Super Bowl LIX champion Barkley spent Sunday at Trump’s golf course in New Jersey, having previously joined Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie for a game with former president Barack Obama in October 2024 at the Merion Golf Club in Pennsylvania.
“Some people are really upset because I played golf and flew to the White House with the president,” Barkley said in a post on X that was viewed more than 4.2 million times in little more than two hours.
“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 you get out my mentions with all this politics and have amazing day.”
lol some people are really upset cause I played golfed and flew to the White House with the PRESIDENT. 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…
— Saquon Barkley (@saquon) April 28, 2025
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President Trump: Saquon Barkley ‘nice guy’
Trump praised Barkley when he was asked about his day with the 2024 NFL Offensive Player of the Year.
The pair took a helicopter together from the course to the Oval Office in Washington, with Trump wearing a cap bearing his Make America Great Again slogan.
“What a nice guy he is,” the 78-year-old told reporters at Morristown Municipal Airport, via 6abc. “I wanted to race him but I decided not to do it.”
Following President Trump to the Oval Office: Philadelphia Eagles’ Saquon Barkley. The Eagles will visit the White House tomorrow. pic.twitter.com/MlE9MlNFOY
— Benjamin Alvarez (@BenjAlvarez1) April 27, 2025
Philadelphia Eagles White House visit
The Eagles were due to visit the White House on Monday, although Lurie is said to have made attendance optional for players.
“When you grow up and you hear about the championship team getting to go to the White House, that’s what this is,” Lurie reportedly said.
“We didn’t have that opportunity and now we do, and I think we are all looking forward to it.”
Trump congratulated the Eagles on winning the 2018 Super Bowl on X but later withdrew an invitation to the team to visit the White House.
“Unfortunately, only a small number of players decided to come, and we canceled the event,” he said at the time. “Staying in the locker room for the playing of our national anthem is as disrespectful to our country as kneeling. Sorry.”
Philadelphia Eagles’ Jalen Hurts is asked if he will be visiting the White House. pic.twitter.com/SYg2gu5Qa0
— Pop Crave (@PopCrave) April 26, 2025
Why do NFL players take the knee?
Some NFL players have knelt during the pre-match playing of the anthem in a form of protest started by former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick, who sat when the Star-Spangled Banner played during a pre-season game in 2016.
Kaepernick wanted the gesture, which later became taking a knee, to highlight racial injustice and police brutality against African Americans.
Dozens of players followed Kaepernick’s lead after Trump said in 2017 that players who took the knee during the anthem should be sacked.
Then-Eagles player Malcolm Jenkins was among those to publicly respond, calling on fans to “join us in locking arms for unity in our city”.
Eagles players did not stay in their locker room or kneel for the anthem during the 2017 season, according to a CBS report at the time.
