The White House escalated its fight with the Eagles Tuesday, blaming the team for President Trump’s decision to un-invite the Super Bowl champions and accusing players of choosing to “abandon” their fans.
A statement by Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said that 81 players, personnel, coaches and support staff had been confirmed late last week to attend Tuesday’s gathering on the White House lawn, along with more than 1,000 fans — but that the team tried to reschedule when it became clear many players wouldn’t attend.
“The White House, despite sensing a lack of good faith, nonetheless attempted to work with the Eagles over the weekend to change the event format that could accommodate a smaller group of players,” said the statement. “Unfortunately, the Eagles offered to send only a tiny handful of representatives, while making clear that the great majority of players would not attend the event, despite planning to be in D.C. today. In other words, the vast majority of the Eagles team decided to abandon their fans.”
Instead, Trump instead plans a mid-afternoon rally with the United States Marine Band and the United States Army Chorus. The White House called it a “Celebration of America.”
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