Photo: Getty Images
Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley spent one-on-one time with President Donald Trump ahead of the team's scheduled Super Bowl celebration at the White House.
On Monday (April 28), Trump is set to host the Eagles at the White House after the team's Super Bowl win against the Kansas City Chiefs in February.
Barkley and Trump were spotted hanging out together on Sunday (April 27), just a day before the Eagles' visit. The two appeared to get off Marine One in New Jersey together, chatting as they exited the plane.
Trump described Barkley as a "nice guy" to reporters at the airport.
“I wanted to race him, but I decided not to do it," the president added before the pair later boarded Air Force One.
Photos circulating online show Trump and the Eagles star at the president's golf club in Bedminster, NJ, with multiple “Make America Great Again” hats sitting on the table.
The Barkley-Trump spotting comes after Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts dodged a question about whether he would be attending the White House celebration.
"Umm," he mumbled to the reporter who asked the question before declining to give a direct answer.
Earlier this month, Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie said the White House visit is a "time-honored tradition," but noted that attendance is "optional" for individual players.
“Our culture is that these are optional things. If you want to enjoy this, come along and we’ll have a great time, and if you don’t, it is totally an optional thing," Lurie said.
On Monday, Barkley took to social media to address backlash over his appearance with Trump.
"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," Barkley tweeted with a laughing face emoji.
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