Donald Trump’s “celebration of America” at the White House, hastily put together on Tuesday in the absence of Super Bowl winners the Philadelphia Eagles, proved that rare thing in the Trump era: an anticlimax.

“I was surprised from the ordeal to get here that it was only a 12-minute shindig,” said Emma Wittstruck Call, 30, who did not vote for the president. “I thought it would be longer.”

Trump handed more ammunition to critics who compare him to a tinpot dictator wrapping himself in the flag and appealing to cheap patriotism. He did not mention the Eagles or attempt to heal divisions.

The event on the south lawn had been intended to follow the tradition of US presidents welcoming the national football champions to the White House. But on Monday night Trump disinvited the Eagles after learning that fewer than 10 players planned to attend, reopening his feud with American athletes over protests during the national anthem.



Instead, a “celebration of America” for Eagles fans was promised. Four US national flags hung on the south portico and 18 more curved around the south lawn. A few hundred people gathered, many waving stars and stripes, but there were more suits and ties than Eagles shirts or caps on display.

“This is a beautiful, big celebration,” claimed Trump, notorious for his obsession with size, at the end of remarks that lasted only four minutes. “Actually, to be honest, it’s even bigger than we had anticipated.”

With that, the US marine band and the US army chorus, their helmets and tunic buttons gleaming in the summer sun, played God Bless America. Trump sang some of the words but his lips were sealed for trickier lines, suggesting that his knowledge of Irving Berlin’s patriotic song is somewhat sketchy.

He then departed and the crowd began to disperse, showing little interest in the band music that moved on to hits by the Four Seasons and others.

Earlier, during the national anthem, one man in the crowd had taken the knee in protest, emulating Colin Kaepernick and other football players, though no Eagles made the gesture last season. There was also a shout of “Eagles” and some heckling at the start of Trump’s speech, eliciting boos from the crowd.

Play Video 0:28 Donald Trump heckled during 'celebration of America' event at the White House – video

The president said: “We love our country. We respect our flag. And we always proudly stand for the national anthem. We always will stand for the national anthem.”



There was a cheer from a gathering that seemed more like a Trump rally than a football watch party. The president went on to reel off achievements including unemployment figures and claiming: “Our country has never done better than it’s doing right now. Never!”

There was support for Trump’s stand against the NFL players’ protests among the guests. Steve Woods, a retired business lobbyist from Alexandria, Virginia, described himself as a lifelong Eagles fan. “It would be nice if they showed up but I didn’t think they would,” he said, a Stars and Stripes in his top pocket. “Too much peer pressure to be politically correct.”

The 69-year-old, who voted for Trump because of his policies for small businesses, added: “The great thing about our country is they can make a political statement and he can make a political statement.”

Michael Carr, 56, a logistician from Philadelphia, said: “I agree with the president 100%. The whole situation is disappointing. I believe respecting our country should have nothing to do with one personal’s beliefs. It’s simply a matter of pride and respect. Our flag and anthem are sacrosanct and not a matter of debate in my view.”

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Trump’s statement on Monday cancelling the visit cited player protests throughout the NFL over police brutality and racial inequality.



“They disagree with their president,” he said, “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.”

On Tuesday morning, Trump tweeted against a form of protest that will be allowed under an NFL policy banning kneeling during the anthem on the field or sidelines that was announced last month.

“Staying in the locker room for the playing of our national anthem is as disrespectful to our country as kneeling,” Trump wrote, returning again to an issue seen as attractive to his Republican base. “Sorry!”

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Spectators at the White House event. Photograph: Andrew Harnik/AP

Later, a statement issued by the White House press secretary, Sarah Sanders, said that “despite sensing a lack of good faith”, the White House had “attempted to work with the Eagles”.

“Unfortunately,” Sanders added, “the Eagles offered to send only a tiny handful of representatives, while making clear that the great majority of players would not attend the event, despite planning to be in DC today. In other words, the vast majority of the Eagles team decided to abandon their fans.

“Upon learning these facts, the president decided to change the event so that it would be a celebration of the American flag with Eagles fans and performances by United States Marine Band and the United States Army Chorus.”

The Eagles issued a statement that avoided the issue, paying tribute instead to the supporters who followed the team to its first Super Bowl win.



The NFL Players Association said the cancellation had resulted in the concurrent cancellation of “several player-led community service events for young people” in the Washington DC area.



“Our union is disappointed in the decision by the White House to disinvite players from the Philadelphia Eagles from being recognized and celebrated by all Americans for their accomplishment,” the statement said. “NFL players love their country, support our troops, give back to their communities and strive to make America a better place.”

LeBron James and Steph Curry, star players for the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Golden State Warriors, indicated their teams would not accept any invitation to visit the White House should they win the NBA finals series.

At the daily White House briefing on Tuesday afternoon, Sanders seemed to attempt again to cast the NFL team in a bad light with its followers, saying: “The Eagles are the ones that changed their commitment at the last minute … and the president thinks that the fans deserve better than that.

“Certainly,” she added, “we would hope that all of the people of Pennsylvania would share the Potus’s commitment to the national anthem and pride that we have in the country.”

Republican Peter King compares NFL protests to 'players giving Nazi salutes' Read more

Pennsylvania was one of a group of usually Democratic states that Trump won in 2016, paving his road to an electoral college victory despite losing the popular vote to Hillary Clinton by nearly 3m ballots. A Trump-backed candidate, however, recently lost a special election in a Pennsylvania district the president took by 20 points.

Though many of Trump’s usual Republican supporters rallied to his side on Tuesday, there was some dissent in party ranks. Ryan Costello, a Pennsylvania congressman, wrote: “This is a depressing commentary on our political culture, very deflating to me. Was really excited for today. As a fan who bleeds green. Not going to WH. Disappointed in all of this.”

Among a number of Democrats and Pennsylvania lawmakers who criticised Trump, Philadelphia’s mayor, Jim Kenney, said the president was a “fragile egomaniac”.

Speaking to CNN on Tuesday, the Democrat defended players’ rights to protest under the first amendment. He did not want to debate the issue with the president, he said, because the president was “a child”.