Saquon Barkley, a hero for the Eagles during their run to a Super Bowl title last season, was hearing heavy backlash over the weekend after playing golf with President Trump in New Jersey and flying back with him to D.C.
Fans on social media who are not supporters of the current president let Barkley hear it in his mentions, and on Monday, the Eagles running back fired back on X (formerly known as Twitter).
“Lol some people are really upset [because] I played golfed and flew to the White House with the PRESIDENT,” Barkley posted. “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.”
President Trump remains a divisive figure in the US, even more so after being elected for the second time for another term that began in January. Barkley has never publicly voiced a strong support for Trump as president, and he wanted to make it clear to his newfound critics that he was simply taking advantage of the opportunity to golf with the President of the United States.
Barkley will spend time with President Trump again on Monday when he and his Eagles teammates visit the White House for a ceremony to celebrate the Birds as Super Bowl champs. The last time the Eagles won the Super Bowl was in 2018 during Trumps’ first term as president, but the team did not go after it seemed there would be a low turnout, and the invitation was rescinded.