Trump to Attend Super Bowl Because We Can’t Have a Moment’s Peace

Photo: Evan Vucci/Getty Images

If you were planning on avoiding politics at your Super Bowl watch party on Sunday, bad news: Donald Trump will attend Super Bowl LIX at Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, because it is important that Americans never have a respite from thinking about the president.

Trump’s plan to watch the Kansas City Chiefs take on the Philadelphia Eagles in person was first reported by Jake Sherman of Punchbowl News on Tuesday morning. A White House official later confirmed the news to various outlets.

No sitting president has ever attended a Super Bowl, though three sitting vice-presidents have gone to the game, according to the New York Post (Spiro Agnew in 1971, George H.W. Bush in 1982, and Al Gore in 1994.) In light of the deadly New Year’s Day terrorist attack in New Orleans, federal agencies were already planning “one of the most extensive Super Bowl security operations in recent history,” per Bloomberg. The presence of the president, and possibly other top government officials, will heighten security measures even further. According to CNN, Trump’s guest list hasn’t been finalized, but House Speaker Mike Johnson is “in talks” to join him at the game.

Trump, of course, has been a central figure in many recent NFL controversies, from national anthem protests to deranged conspiracy theories about Taylor Swift and Joe Biden fixing last year’s game. Since the pop star is expected to attend Sunday’s game once again to support her boyfriend, Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, there will certainly be plenty of chatter about her bad blood with the president. (Halftime headliner Kendrick Lamar is also not a fan, though his beef with Trump has drawn far less attention than Swift’s.)

So whether you’re a Super Bowl ticket holder attempting to enter the stadium, a football fan trying to focus on what’s happening on the field, or a Swiftie who wants to catch a few cute Taylor-and-Travis moments without arguing about “childless cat ladies,” Trump’s presence is going to make your Sunday significantly more annoying. But maybe that’s fitting; unless you’re fully Team MAGA, that’s kind of what being alive in 2025 is all about.