United States President Donald Trump made a surprise appearance on the FOX Sports broadcast of the Washington Commanders’ game against the Detroit Lions, leaving fans fuming over his presence in the commentators' booth.
According to Irish Star, Trump arrived midway through the matchup at Northwest Stadium in Landover, Maryland, after being invited by Commanders’ managing partner Josh Harris as part of the team’s Salute to Service program honoring military veterans.
Before his arrival, Amon-Ra St. Brown celebrated his first-quarter touchdown with a dance mimicking Trump’s signature moves which was a moment that drew laughter online. However, the mood shifted sharply once the President appeared on air.
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‘Keep him off our screens’
Trump later joined FOX broadcasters Kenny Albert and Jonathan Vilma in the booth, where he chatted about football and his ties to the league. Viewers, however, were not amused.
“Didn’t you hear him getting booed?” one viewer posted on X (formerly Twitter). Another added, “NFL on FOX interviewing Trump just made me never want to watch football again. Sports is supposed to be an escape.”
Several others pointed out the hypocrisy of fans who complain about Taylor Swift’s appearances at NFL games but remained silent about Trump’s airtime. “I’d rather see Taylor Swift than Trump taking over the booth,” one user quipped while another said, "I don’t ever want to hear a complaint over a 4 second clip of Taylor Swift again."
Controversy over Commanders’ past and Trump’s ties
Trump’s relationship with the Commanders franchise has long been contentious. He once slammed the team for dropping its former “Redskins” name and even threatened to block the construction of its new stadium unless it reverted.
However, as reported by the Irish Star, Trump has recently softened his tone, showing renewed interest in being associated with the franchise, even hinting at wanting his name attached to the team’s new venue.
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Fans vent as Lions cruise to victory
While Trump’s cameo dominated headlines, the Lions outplayed the Commanders with Jared Goff throwing for 320 yards and three touchdowns. Running back Jahmyr Gibbs added 142 yards and two scores as the Lions triumphed 44–22.
The reaction online, however, remained focused on the broadcast controversy. “I thought we were supposed to keep politics outta sports,” one fan wrote. “This was a cheap stunt by FOX.”
