President Donald Trump chatted with reporters and briefly took a commentary position as the sports fan watched the Detroit Lions meet the Washington Commanders in the NFL.
Trump, who became the became the first sitting US president to attend a Super Bowl when he attended Super Bowl LII in February 2018, arrived at the 64,000-capacity Northwest Stadium on his Air Force One aircraft on Sunday.
“I just want to say, was that the greatest flyover ever?” Trump asked as he disembarked. “Nobody’s ever done a flyover like that.”
Why was Trump at the game and when did a US president last attend a regular-season NFL fixture?
.@realDonaldTrump joined Kenny Albert and Jonathan Vilma in the broadcast booth during tonight’s Lions vs Commanders game in Washington, D.C.@WhiteHouse pic.twitter.com/xljcnv1QlK
— FOX Sports (@FOXSports) November 9, 2025
Donald Trump: Why did President attend Commanders vs Lions?
The 79-year-old was at the game as part of the NFL’s Salute to Service to honor military personnel ahead of Veterans Day Tuesday.
House Speaker Mike Johnson, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and Commanders owner Josh Harris were in a private box alongside Trump, whose formalities included leading a military swearing-in ceremony at half-time to a reportedly mixed reception for the businessman from fans.
“We just swore in a tremendous group of young people,” Trump told Fox Sports. “That was just an honor. They are fantastic.”
Donald Trump: NFL ‘like life’
Trump’s presence at the Lions’ 44-22 win makes him the first president to have attended a regular-season game since Jimmy Carter on October 2 1978.
“I played tight end,” Trump said of his own career, namechecking New York Jets owner Woody Johnson.
“It was not quite football like this – it was a little bit easier, it wasn’t so tough. I would say 10 yards was a long pass.
Air Force One is seen flying over Northwest Stadium
📺: FOX pic.twitter.com/0WYM5Jug7N
— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) November 9, 2025
“We had a good time and I loved it. I loved the Jets and I loved the [New York] Giants. Woody’s a great guy – he’s a great friend of mine.
“I just love [sport]. It’s a microcosm of life – sort of like life, the good, the bad and the ugly.
“You can equate sport with life. You have the triumph and the problems. You’ve got to get through the problems to hit the triumphs. You can never quit and you can never give up.”
Government shutdown: USA ‘doing great’
The US is currently witnessing the longest US government shutdown on record because of a budget stand-off between Republican and Democratic lawmakers in Congress.
When he was asked for his thoughts on the state of the nation by co-commentator Jonathan Vilma, Trump said the US is “doing great”.
Many US government services are temporarily suspended, with around 1.4 million federal employees on unpaid leave or working without pay.
Washington Commanders stadium: Trump ‘involved’
The Commanders are planning a new $3.7 billion stadium on the site of the RFK Stadium, which was their home between 1961 and 1996 and is currently being demolished.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told the BBC last week that naming the venue in honor of the president would be “beautiful” because Trump “made the rebuilding of the new stadium possible”.
“They’re going to have a beautiful stadium,” Trump told Fox, also praising George Allen for the former head coach and general manager’s time with Washington between 1971 and 1977.
“That’s what I’m involved in, getting all the approvals and everything else. You have a wonderful owner, Josh, and his group. You’re going to see some very good things.”
The BBC said it had reached out to the Commanders for comment and that the office of DC Mayor Muriel Bowser had declined to comment.
