Will Trump invite Super Bowl champion Eagles to the White House? They declined his offer in 2018

Every year the Super Bowl champions are given the honor of an invitation to the White House to meet the president and celebrate their victory.

However, Donald Trump has prior issues with this year’s winners, the Philadelphia Eagles, who also won in 2018 during his first presidency but ultimately did not make the trip to Washington D.C.

After Sunday night's 40-22 trouncing of the Kansas City Chiefs, some fans are now wondering if the team will get a second chance to visit 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.

When Trump extended the invitation back in 2018, multiple members of the Eagles team chose not to accept out of solidarity with former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick.

Players from the squad, including Malcolm Jenkins and Chris Long, were among those who declined the offer after voicing support for Kaepernick, who in 2016 began kneeling during the national anthem to protest police brutality and racial inequality.

The perceived slight led to Trump rescinding the offer to the whole team, and instead holding a “fan event” at the White House, saying that the fans “deserved better.”

"The Philadelphia Eagles are unable to come to the White House with their full team to be celebrated tomorrow,” Trump said at the time. “They disagree with their President because he insists that they proudly stand for the National Anthem, hand on heart, in honor of the great men and women of our military and the people of our country.”

The president rescinded the invitation to the Eagles after several of the 2018 turned down the offer, saying that their fans ‘deserved better’ (AP)

The history has not been forgotten, and NFL fans are already speculating whether Trump will extend the offer of another White House visit, and whether the Eagles would again turn it down.

"Good time to remind everyone that the last time the Eagles won the Super Bowl they refused to go to the White House because of Donald. Hopefully they turn down his McDonald's meal again," one user posted on X.

"I can’t wait for the Eagles to turn down the White House trip again this year," another wrote. "Eagles win and decline White House invitation again," added another user.

Prior to the game, Trump predicted a victory for the Kansas City Chiefs, and was later seen leaving the game and New Orleans early (Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)

The Eagles victory may have added annoyance for Trump who, despite not publicly choosing one side over the other, had predicted a victory for the Chiefs before the game.

The president even congratulated the team when they reached the Super Bowl, writing: “What a GREAT Team, Coach, Quarterback, and virtually everything else, including those fantastic FANS, that voted for me (MAGA!) in record numbers.”

He did not show the same courtesy to the Eagles.