Kansas City Chiefs star Harrison Butker was granted a special trip to the White House to meet president Donald Trump on Thursday – one year on from the outrage over his controversial ‘homemaker’ speech.
Butker, who visited Trump in the wake of Kansas City’s crushing defeat at Super Bowl LIX, sparked fury last year after suggesting women should prioritize being stay-at-home mothers, criticizing Joe Biden’s pro-abortion stance and hitting out at the LGBTQ+ community when he addressed students at Benedictine College.
Despite their recent humbling against the Philadelphia Eagles, the Chiefs’ star kicker was seen meeting Trump in the Oval Office on Thursday after heading to Washington.
White House Communications Adviser Margo Martin shared a photo of the pair on X and wrote: ‘The GOAT of kicking meets the GOAT of Presidents.’
It is currently unclear why Trump invited Butker to the White House alone and what they discussed during his visit.
The three-time Super Bowl winner’s commencement speech at Benedictine College drew fierce criticism last year, with a number of fans and high-profile figures expressing anger over his remarks.
Chiefs star Harrison Butker was granted a trip to the White House to meet Donald Trump
Butker received the honor despite Kansas City’s crushing defeat at the Super Bowl this month
A petition for the Chiefs to cut him from their roster received almost 250,000 signatures, while even some of his teammates – including Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce – publicly admitted they do not share the same views.
Yet before their Super Bowl loss to the Philadelphia Eagles on February 9, Butker said he had no regrets.
‘God has given me this platform and I’m going to say what I believe to be true and what I hold close to my heart,’ he said a few days out from the game in New Orleans.
‘A lot of guys had different opinions about it,’ he added, ‘but we all love each other in that locker room. We all know who we are.
‘All the guys understood where I was coming from. They respect me. They respect what I have to say. And I have nothing to apologize for.’
Butker and the Chiefs are still reeling from their 40-22 defeat to the Eagles in New Orleans, which saw them miss out on a historic Super Bowl three-peat.
Star quarterback Patrick Mahomes endured a rare off-night after suffering six sacks and throwing two interceptions, while Travis Kelce was largely anonymous with girlfriend Taylor Swift watching on from the stands.
Trump was also in attendance that night, becoming the first sitting president in history to watch a Super Bowl in the flesh after showing his face at Caesars Superdome.
The kicker sparked outrage last year with his controversial commencement speech
Butker and the Chiefs are still reeling from their crushing Super Bowl defeat to the Eagles
Following their victory, there had been speculation that the Eagles would turn down the traditional audience with the president at the White House.
But after it emerged that they would be ‘honored’ to visit, Trump instructed his aides to send out the official invite on Tuesday.
‘They will be (invited). We haven’t yet but we will be. I thought it was a great performance by then and absolutely they’ll be extended that invitation,’ he said, before asking someone ‘do that right away’.
‘We’re going to do it sometime today. They deserve to be down here and we hope to see them.’
It would represent the first time that the Eagles have visited the White House with the Vince Lombardi Trophy.
They won the Super Bowl in February 2018, during Trump’s first term in office, but the team did not end up heading to the nation’s capital.
Following rumors of a potential player boycott, Trump disinvited the team from the customary visit. It came amid his war with the NFL over protests during national anthem.
