Donald Trump tells Eagles to skip White House visit

After he found out the Philadelphia Eagles weren’t all attending the White House, president Donald Trump uninvited the whole team.

The Philadelphia Eagles won Super Bowl LII and as is the custom, were going to the White House to be celebrated. Instead, because some players didn’t plan on attending (as has also been customary during the Trump presidency), The Donald refused them all in a statement.

The whole thing reeks of a chance to grab some headlines, much like when vice president Mike Pence showed up at an Indianapolis Colts game last year before leaving when some players knelt during the national anthem. That stunt cost taxpayers more than $250,000, and Trump’s hurt feelings with the Eagles cost us nothing, so there’s progress we can all be proud of.

Ultimately, it’s totally understandable if you or president Trump doesn’t like players kneeling during the anthem. It’s also understandable that some don’t mind the protests. In the end, regardless of political party, Trump looks small for banning a team that was apparently at least sending some of its players.

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Of course, the New England Patriots went to the White House after their rousing Super Bowl LI victory, but Trump has been friends over the years with owner Robert Kraft and head coach Bill Belichick. Maybe that was enough to keep him from barring the contingent from Foxborough.

Hopefully by the time we have a new Super Bowl winner in February, much of the controversies are behind us. It would behoove both Trump and the winning team to have a nice day at the White House, regardless of how many players decide to attend.

After all, everyone should have a choice in their plans. This is America.