NFL

President Biden lauds ‘exceptional' Chiefs during team's latest White House visit

The president recalled that he said at last year's celebration for the Chiefs that they are building a “dynasty.”

NBC Universal, Inc. President Joe Biden welcomed the Super Bowl LVIII champion Kansas City Chiefs, honoring the heroes who helped during the shooting at February’s championship parade while adding some friendly jabs at the players. “I’d have [tight end Travis Kelce] come up here but God only knows what he’d say.”

President Joe Biden welcomed the Kansas City Chiefs to the White House on Friday, lauding the back-to-back Super Bowl champion team for its sportsmanship on and off the field, and breaking an unofficial political rule about headwear. He tried on a Chiefs helmet the team gave him as a gift.

“It was cool to see him put the helmet on,” quarterback Patrick Mahomes told reporters after the celebration held on the South Lawn. “We didn't expect that. But it was really cool to see him throw that Chiefs helmet on and you get that Chiefs kingdom kind of for the rest of the nation to see.”

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The Democratic president recalled that he said at last year's celebration for the Chiefs that they are building a “dynasty.” He noted the struggles they overcame last season on the road to the Super Bowl and said, “I don't think anybody's doubting you know.”

He noted the shooting in February at Kansas City's parade and rally honoring the team, which killed a mother of two and host of a local radio program.

“We saw pride give way to tragedy,” Biden said, adding that, “amid the chaos this team stepped up.”

“‘This team is exceptional,” the president said, adding that the country as a whole must “do more to stop the tragic shootings before they happen.”

Biden recognized the Chiefs after their come-from-behind overtime win over the San Francisco 49ers in the Super Bowl in Las Vegas in February. It's a longstanding tradition for championship sports teams, both professional and collegiate, to be invited to the White House.

In 2023, the Chiefs defeated the Philadelphia Eagles, first lady Jill Biden's favorite football team. She grew up near Philadelphia and attended the game. Kansas City defeated San Francisco to claim the 2020 Super Bowl title.

Kicker Harrison Butker, who made headlines by assailing some of Biden's policies during a commencement speech earlier this month, accompanied his teammates to the White House. Butker recently defended his comments, saying he had no regrets about expressing his beliefs.

The hosts of “The View” are weighing in on the controversial comments made by Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker during a commencement address at Benedictine College on May 11. Co-host Whoopi Goldberg partially defended the football pro on air, saying, “These are his beliefs and he’s welcome to them.” In his speech, Butker insinuated to female students that they would be most fulfilled by being wives and mothers and not by successful careers. He also made negative comments about the LGBTQ community.

In the May 11 speech at Benedictine College, a private Catholic liberal arts school in Atchison, Kansas, Butker congratulated the women who were receiving degrees and said most of them were probably more excited about getting married and having children.

He criticized some of Biden's policy positions, including the president's condemnation of the Supreme Court’s reversal of its 1973 Roe v. Wade decision that legalized abortion nationwide. Abortion is an issue that Biden and his fellow Democrats hope to use to their advantage in the November elections.

Butker also tackled Biden’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, which has killed nearly 1.2 million people in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Many had hoped to see Taylor Swift, tight end Travis Kelce's girlfriend, but she didn't make an appearance. Swift has been traveling abroad on her Eras tour and had a show on Thursday in Madrid.

What can’t Travis Kelce do? When he’s not winning the Super Bowl Championship, the Kansas City Chiefs tight end is busy hosting the second annual Kelce Jam music festival.
Copyright The Associated Press
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