Quite the reception for 47.
President Donald Trump became the first sitting president to attend the Super Bowl in person, heading to New Orleans to take in the matchup between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles.
And New Orleans isn’t exactly Trump country, with Orleans Parish voting for Kamala Harris by a margin of 82-15.
But it sounded like the crowd in the Superdome was excited to welcome the president.
Ahead of the game, President Trump met with the survivors and families of victims of the horrific Bourbon Street terrorist attack on New Year’s Eve.
President Donald Trump meets the families of the victims and first responders from the January 1st terrorist attack in New Orleans. #SBLIX pic.twitter.com/jqPRI6Oyf0
— NFL (@NFL) February 9, 2025
Ahead of the coin toss, President Trump met family members of the victims from the New Orleans terror attack, as well as local police and first responders. pic.twitter.com/aaPDMonpjq
— Josh Wingrove (@josh_wingrove) February 9, 2025
Chiefs defensive tackle Chris Jones also sought out President Trump to give him a handshake while he was on the field. But for the pregame ceremonies, the president made his way to his seats alongside New Orleans Saints owner Gayle Benson.
And when Trump was shown on the screen in the Dome while New Orleans native Jon Batiste performed the national anthem, the crowd erupted in cheers as the president stood saluting the flag:
WOW! The entire crowd at the Super Bowl went NUTS after seeing President Trump on the screen during the National Anthem. pic.twitter.com/CMhDUy5iiK
— George (@BehizyTweets) February 9, 2025
Pretty cool moment.
The pregame show also featured a tribute to the victims of the terrorist attack, as well as those affected by the wildfires in Los Angeles, Hurricane Helene in North Carolina, and the plane crashes in Washington DC and Philadelphia, with Lady Gaga delivering an emotional performance of “Hold My Hand” on Bourbon Street surrounded by first responders.
The city has bounced back quickly from the attacks after facing criticism and concerns surrounding security measure that were in place on New Year’s Eve.
The ISIS-inspired attack in the early morning hours of New Year’s Day put security at the front of mind for this year’s Super Bowl, with the city facing criticism for the lack of security on Bourbon Street when Shamsud-Din Jabbar was able to bypass a police car blocking the entrance to the street and run down partygoers with his truck before crashing into a construction lift and then getting into a shootout with police.
New Orleans had installed bollards at the entrance to Bourbon Street a few years ago, but those weren’t functional at the time of the attack, which the city blamed on maintenance issues and Mardi Gras beads. But the day after the tragedy, the city installed large metal barricades called archers that are meant to block off both the street and the sidewalk to vehicle traffic. And when asked why the archers weren’t in place for New Years, New Orleans police chief Anne Kirkpatrick made the stunning admission that…she didn’t even know they had them.
Regardless, it seems like security has been beefed up around New Orleans, with heavy law enforcement and National Guard presence as well as checkpoints around the French Quarter. And there’s no doubt that security was even heavier today with President Trump in attendance.
Ahead of the game, Trump gave his prediction for Super Bowl LIX, and to nobody’s surprise, he’s picking the Chiefs to win the game after previously expressing his admiration for both quarterback Patrick Mahomes and his wife Brittany, who publicly supported Trump during the 2024 election.
