By Emily Goodin, Senior U.S. Political Reporter At The White House and Nikki Schwab, Senior U.S. Political Reporter At The White House For Dailymail.Com
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President Joe Biden welcomed Super Bowl winners the Kansas City Chiefs to the White House Friday – by modeling a football helmet and turning the mic over to tight end Travis Kelce, Taylor Swift‘s boyfriend.
Kelce was joined by quarterback Patrick Mahomes, coach Andy Reid, kicker Harrison Butker – the player embroiled in a commencement speech controversey – and other teammates for the Chiefs second trip to the White House in two years.
‘I’d have Travis come up here but God only knows what he’d say,’ Biden teased after delivering a short speech, peppered with 2024 election jokes about liking ‘back to back’ winners.
Kelce reluctantly walked to the podium. ‘My fellow Americans. It’s nice to see you all again,’ Kelce said. ‘I’m not going to lie President Biden, they told me if I came up here, I would get tased.’
As the program ended a reporter loudly shouted, ‘Where’s Taylor Swift?’ as the pop star didn’t attend the South Lawn ceremony.
President Joe Biden (left) briefly turned the podium over to tight end Travis Kelce (right), the boyfriend of pop star Taylor Swift
President Joe Biden was presented with a Kansas City Chiefs helmet by the Super Bowl winning team and squished it onto his head briefly. ‘Thank you very much,’ he said
The Chiefs presented Biden with a gift – a Kansas City helmet – which the president eventually stuffed on his head.
‘Thank you very much,’ Biden said.
He was able to remove it before chatting with Mahomes and Kelce at the conclusion of the event.
Afterward Mahomes and Coach Andy Reid gushed about that moment.
‘I mean we didn’t expect that. It was really cool to see that Chiefs helmet on and we’ve got that “Chiefs Kingdom” for the rest of the nation to see,’ said Mahomes.
A reporter had asked the quarterback if Biden would need the helmet going into a bruising 2024 election cycle.
Mahomes ignored shouts about whether he’d endorse Biden ahead of the November vote.
Reid wondered if Biden’s helmet moment made history.
President Joe Biden stuffed his head into a Kansas City Chiefs helmet during the team’s Super Bowl event on the South Lawn
Kansas City Chiefs coach Andy Reid (left) and CEO Clark Hunt (center) help President Joe Biden remove the helmet that was brought to the White House as a gift from the team
Members of the Kansas City chiefs, including kicker Harrison Butker (third from left) arrive at a ceremony on the South Lawn Friday
‘Listen, I don’t know how many presidents have tried on your team helmet, this might be a first and you all witnessed it,’ the longtime NFL coach said.
The White House event comes after the team’s kicker, Butker, delivered a controversial commencement speech at Benedictine College, a small Catholic college in Kansas, earlier this month.
Butker told female graduates that they’ve had ‘the most diabolical lies’ told to them.
‘Some of you may go on to lead successful careers in the world, but I would venture to guess that the majority of you are most excited about your marriage and the children you will bring into this world,’ Butker said. ‘I can tell you that my beautiful wife Isabelle would be the first to say that her life truly started when she started living her vocation as a wife and as a mother,’
Butker added that his wife embraced ‘one of the most important titles of all. Homemaker.’
The kicker also made anti-LGBTQ references noting that there’s a ‘deadly sin sort of pride that has a month dedicated to it.’
And he also attacked Biden’s COVID-19 reponse, while adding that a number of things that the president supported ‘negatively impacted’ the graduates’ lives.
Travis Kelce (right) watches as President Joe Biden (left) addresses the crowd after being gifted and putting on a Kansas City Chiefs football helmet
Prior to the team’s arrival the Lombardi Trophy (left) and the Kansas City Chiefs helmet (right) that would be gifted to Biden sat out on a table on the South Lawn
Quarterback Patrick Mahomes (center) and tight end Travis Kelce (top) arrive for their White House ceremony Friday after winning the Super Bowl in February
‘Things like abortion, IVF, surrogacy, euthanasia, as well as a growing support for degenerate cultural values and media all stem from pervasiveness of disorder,’ Butker said.
Swift is currently on the European leg of her wildly successful Eras Tour, having performed in Madrid, Spain Thursday night and heading to Lyon, France on Sunday.
She flew from Tokyo to Las Vegas in February to watch Kelce and his teammates win their third Super Bowl in just five years.
In February they beat the San Francisco 49ers – the same team they defeated in 2020.
Ahead of the Super Bowl there was some speculation that a Kansas City win could predict a Biden win this November – with the same two teams playing in the Super Bown and the same two presidential candidates on the ballot as four years ago.
Taylor Swift (right) flew from Tokyo to Las Vegas to watch her boyfriend, Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce (left) win the Super Bowl in February. She kissed him after the game on the field
While Swift indicated that she was voting for Biden in 2020 – she has yet to officially endorse his reelection bid.
The pop star heralds from the battleground state of Pennsylvania, which could boost the president’s chances there.
The Chiefs also famously beat the Philadelphia Eagles in the 2023 Super Bowl, a disappointment for Dr. Jill Biden, a huge fan of the team and who attended the game.
Kelce’s brother Jason was playing for the Eagles when they were defeated by the Chiefs.
Jason Kelce retired from the NFL earlier this year.
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Published by Associated Newspapers Ltd
Part of the Daily Mail, The Mail on Sunday & Metro Media Group
