(NEXSTAR) — In addition to the history that may be made on the field, the U.S. will see a first in a seating box at the Ceasars Superdome during Super Bowl LIX: a sitting president will be in attendance.
President Donald Trump confirmed last week that he would be at the stadium in New Orleans as the Kansas City Chiefs take on the Philadelphia Eagles.
Trump arrived in New Orleans shortly before 4 p.m. CT on Sunday.
Upon arriving at the Caesars Superdome, Trumpwas set to participate in a meet-and-greet with this year’s honorary coin toss participants, including victims’ family members, members of the New Orleans Police Department and other emergency personnel.
While Trump is often seen in a red tie, it could be a nod to something else: his apparent fandom for the Chiefs.
After the Chiefs clinched the AFC Championship, Trump took to Truth Social to congratulate the team. Innocuous, sure — except, as eagled-eye Philadelphia Eagles fans noticed, he didn’t congratulate the NFC champions. (Trump even congratulated the Buffalo Bills, who lost to the Chiefs.)
In his interview with Fox News’ Bret Baier — filmed Saturday but aired Sunday — Trump predicted the Chiefs would win but noted that “Philadelphia has a fantastic game,” adding that “it’s going to be a great game.”
Trump went on to call himself “a big fan of both teams.”
During his first term in office, Trump canceled a planned White House visit by the Eagles after they won the Super Bowl in 2018. At the time, some players reportedly decided to boycott the event, though Trump said it was because some Eagles players kneeled to protest police brutality during the national anthem.
However, there were reportedly no Eagles players who kneeled or remained in the locker room during the national anthem that season.
Trump has also praised Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes and his wife, Brittany Mahomes. The latter has suggested her own support for Trump on social media, as The Hill has previously reported.
Super Bowl LIX will kick off at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans at 6:30 p.m. ET.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.