Trump to attend Commanders game against The Detroit Lions on Sunday to honor military veterans
President Donald Trump is set to attend Sunday’s matchup between the Washington Commanders and the Detroit Lions at Northwest Field in Landover, Maryland.
The president will join Commanders owner Josh Harris in the owner’s suite to take part in the halftime ceremony honoring U.S. veterans. The appearance was first reported by Pat McAfee, citing unnamed sources, and later confirmed when the Trump administration shared McAfee’s report on social media.
This will be President Trump’s first NFL game of the season. Earlier this year, he attended Super Bowl LIX in New Orleans, where the Philadelphia Eagles defeated the Kansas City Chiefs. September was a particularly active month for the president, who made appearances at the U.S. Open men’s final, a New York Yankees game on the anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks, and the Ryder Cup’s Friday session in New York.
President Trump was also in attendance at a Pittsburgh Steelers game last season.
Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels will miss Sunday’s game due to a dislocated left elbow suffered during last week’s loss to the Seattle Seahawks. The game itself is a rematch of last year’s NFC divisional round, when Washington stunned Detroit to end the Lions’ top-seeded playoff run.
Earlier this year, President Trump made headlines after criticizing the Commanders organization over its decision to move away from its former “Redskins” name. He warned that he might block efforts to build a new stadium in Washington, D.C., unless the team restored the original name.
“My statement on the Washington Redskins has totally blown up, but only in a very positive way,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “If they don’t change the name back to the original ‘Washington Redskins,’ and get rid of the ridiculous moniker ‘Washington Commanders,’ I won’t make a deal for them to build a Stadium in Washington.”
He also mocked the team’s name by calling them the “Washington Whatevers,” and suggested the Cleveland Guardians follow suit by reverting to their former name. Despite the back-and-forth, both the Commanders and the Guardians front offices have since confirmed there are no plans to change their names again.
The Pentagon announced earlier this week that, due to the ongoing government shutdown, there will be no funding for military flyovers or similar events during the NFL’s “Salute to Service” weekend.
Kickoff between the Commanders and Lions is scheduled for 4:25 p.m. ET on Sunday.
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