Super Bowl: Donald Trump to make history as first sitting president to attend NFL showpiece

President Donald Trump will make history this weekend by becoming the first sitting U.S. president to attend a Super Bowl game in person. This year's Super Bowl will be held on Sunday at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, featuring the Kansas City Chiefs against the Philadelphia Eagles. This event marks a significant moment in presidential engagement with the nation's most-watched sporting event.

Previously, New Orleans suffered a terrorist attack on New Year's Day, with an incident on Bourbon Street resulting in 14 deaths. President Trump began his second term in January of this year after being sworn in. While presidents like Ronald Reagan have previously conducted pre-game coin toss ceremonies via satellite from the White House, no sitting president has ever attended the game in person. This unprecedented attendance underscores the importance of the Super Bowl on the national stage.

U.S. Secret Service spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said in a statement: "Given that this is the first time a sitting U.S. president has attended in person, security measures have been further enhanced this year." U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen stated earlier this week that the Super Bowl is "the largest homeland security event we do every year." The heightened security reflects the significance of the event and the need to protect the president and attendees.

Given President Trump's comments about the NFL throughout his political career, his attendance may spark controversy. President Trump has publicly criticized NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and questioned the patriotism of NFL players who kneel during the U.S. national anthem. Kneeling is a movement designed to draw attention to issues of racial injustice in the United States. His presence at the game could reignite these debates and draw further attention to the issues.

This Super Bowl will be the first in four years not to feature the message "End Racism" displayed in the end zones, replaced instead by the message "Choose Love." NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy told Agence France-Presse: "The Super Bowl is often a microcosm of the times, and the NFL is uniquely positioned to capture and elevate the nation's imagination." He added, "Choose Love is appropriate because our country has recently experienced wildfires in Southern California, terrorist attacks in New Orleans, plane and helicopter crashes near our nation's capital, and a plane crash in Philadelphia." This change reflects a broader effort to address various societal challenges and promote unity.

Since its inception in 1967, the Super Bowl has become the most important event on the American sporting calendar. Last year's Super Bowl attracted 123.4 million viewers, making it the largest U.S. television broadcast since the moon landing in 1969. Given the event's impact on American culture, it is not surprising that politicians are increasingly involved. In 2017, George H.W. Bush became the first former president to conduct the pre-game coin toss ceremony in person at Super Bowl LI in Houston. In 1985, President Ronald Reagan conducted the coin toss ceremony via satellite from the White House. Former President George W. Bush inaugurated the Super Bowl tradition of granting pre-game interviews to the official broadcaster in 2004. Barack Obama continued this tradition, but Joe Biden declined to be interviewed for two consecutive years before leaving office in 2025. The Super Bowl's enduring popularity and cultural significance ensure its continued importance in American life.