Football fans at Northwest Stadium were treated to a surprise on Sunday: Donald Trump, President of the United States.
DJT was seen in a suite with House Speaker Mike Johnson and Secretary of War Pete Hegseth.
Booed on the board
Trump was shown on the video board in the second quarter and booed raucously as he valiantly tried to read the sheet in front of him. Trump was attempting to recite a military oath to swear in recruits.
Trouble reading
The Don recently bragged about ‘acing’ a dementia screener, made to assess whether basic cognitive function is still doable. He got another tough test at the Commanders game, when he was tasked with reading four sentences to the crowd.
'Say my name'
The line Trump struggled with was a prompt for him to say his own name. What Trump was supposed to say was, “Please raise your right hand. I, Donald Trump, do solemnly swear that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic.”
The wrong line
Instead, Trump read out, “Please raise your right hand. I—and state your name—do solemnly swear, that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies foreign and domestic,”
Yes, he said ‘state your name’ instead of saying his name. Of course, the president did have about 20,000 red-blooded, football-loving, true Americans booing the skin off him, so maybe he was nervous.
First since Jimmy
Trump was the first president to attend a regular-season NFL game since Jimmy Carter in 1978. Ironically enough, Trump’s approval ratings are nearly identical to Carter’s at 34%.
That number leaves them in a three-way tie for second-last in the presidential popularity rankings.
Trump also attended the Super Bowl in February, and it’s assumed he’ll do the same in 2026.
Donald Trump stadium?
Experts can’t help but draw parallels between the rarity of this meeting and the rumour surrounding the Commanders' new stadium.
The new stadium was approved on Sept. 17, and will include a billion-dollar investment from Washington, and a $2.7 bn commitment from the Commander’s organization.
White House statement
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt emailed ESPN with a statement:
"That would be a beautiful name, as it was President Trump who made the rebuilding of the new stadium possible."
In Washington's hands?
Since the stadium will be owned by the District of Columbia, not the Commanders, the team will not have proprietary naming rights.
A source confirmed that, "The team doesn't have the authority. They can't name the stadium ... on their own. The city would be involved in that decision, and the Park Service would be involved."
Trump wants it
This means Trump could have some sway over the naming of the new stadium, much to the chagrin of football fans.
Trump himself said, “they're gonna build a beautiful stadium, that's what I'm involved in. We're getting all the approvals and everything else. And you have a wonderful owner, Josh and his group, and you're going to see some very good things.”
Colorless commentator
Trump didn’t just stay in his press box on Sunday. He also appeared on FOX News’ broadcast near the end of the game, even getting to call an important moment late in the fourth quarter.
“Let’s see what happens. Not bad,” was his response to the three-yard drive from Jacory Croskey-Merritt.
Broadcast flop
The appearance on the FOX broadcast has garnered mass disapproval on social media. Donald Trump has invoked the other side of the “keep politics out of sports” crowd. Multiple posts on social media specifically attack the fact that Donald Trump is underqualified to be a sports broadcaster.
This means either some of the MAGA crowd believe being president is easier than doing play-by-play, or that Donald Trump is no longer capable of doing anything. Can both be true?