Despite Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts not being present for the team’s visit to the White House, there seems to be no ill feelings between him and U.S. President Donald Trump.
Trump welcomed the Eagles on Monday, albeit without several key players. Hurts, along with numerous other players, were unable to attend the event at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue due to “scheduling conflicts.”
A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith, Nolan Smith Jr, Jordan Davis, Jalen Carter, Darius Slay, CJ Gardner Johnson, Zack Baun, Nakobe Dean, Isaiah Rodgers, Jalyx Hunt, Josh Sweat, Tyler Steen, and Quinyon Mitchell also did not make an appearance at the Oval Office.
In their stead, approximately 30 of their teammates made it to the White House to commemorate the Eagles’ 40-22 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LIX. While reminiscing about Philadelphia’s remarkable 2024 campaign, Trump took a moment to acknowledge Hurts’ achievements.
“Complementing Saquon’s historic season was an incredible year from star quarterback Jalen Hurts, and he really – he had a great season and a great game (in the Super Bowl),” Trump said. “He finished with 32 touchdowns in the year, turning in one stellar performance after another. A terrific guy, and a terrific player.”
At the glamorous 2025 TIME100 gala in New York City last week, Hurts hesitantly sidestepped the question of whether he’d be present with the Eagles at the White House. Cornered by a reporter’s inquiry about his plans to partake in the celebrations, the quarterback managed only an “Um” before his answer dwindled away.
Only a day earlier, following the Eagles’ trail, running back Saquon Barkley had been seen socializing with Trump at his Trump National golf club located in Bedminster, New Jersey. Photographic evidence captured the two alighting from Marine One at Morristown Municipal Airport and later seen exchanging words beside a conspicuous stack of “Make America Great Again” hats.
Faced with flak over his rendezvous with Trump, Barkley defiantly posted on X: “lol some people are really upset cause I played golfed and flew to the White House with the PRESIDENT.
“Maybe I just respect the office, not a hard concept to understand. Just golfed with Obama not too long ago…and look forward to finishing my round with Trump! Now ya get out my mentions with all this politics and have amazing day.”
During the recent White House engagement, with Barkley in attendance, Trump revealed that his counsel to the New York Giants was straightforward: “I was with the Giants, and the head coach and some people. I said, ‘Do anything you have to, but don’t lose Saquon. They lost Saquon.
“That was not good. I called that one – that was an easy one to call because he played damn well for the Giants, I can tell you that. But he made the right decision because it is a team sport and there’s great people on this team.”
