The Kansas City Chiefs returned to the White House on Friday to celebrate their second straight Super Bowl victory, with a new gift for President Joe Biden in tow.
A year after gifting Biden a No. 46 Biden jersey, Chiefs owner Clark Hunt and head coach Andy Reid presented him with a Chiefs helmet, which the President soon attempted to don. He needed a couple tries after his sunglasses got in the way.
The #Chiefs presented Joe Biden with his own helmet, which the players wanted him to try on.
Biden initially tried to put it on while wearing his sunglasses, but then took them off and successfully got the helmet on his head.pic.twitter.com/DQ8WNAYdwn
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) May 31, 2024
The Chiefs were celebrating their third Super Bowl title in five years, having previously won it all in the 2019-20 season and last year. This was only the second time they visited the White House, however, as the COVID-19 pandemic prevented them from visiting President Donald Trump in 2020.
In last year’s visit, the highlight was star tight end Travis Kelce going rogue at the podium, with Patrick Mahomes stepping in to prevent him from getting more than a few words out. With Kelce’s profile raised even more since then via his relationship with pop star Taylor Swift, Biden opted to preemptively invite Kelce to take the podium.
“My fellow Americans, it’s nice to see you all yet again,” Kelce said. “I’m not going to lie, President Biden, they told me if I got up here I’d get tased, so I’m going to go back to my spot.
The bulk of Biden’s speech was devoted to the Chiefs’ persistence through adversity, with the team shaking off a slump in the second half of the regular season and a double-digit deficit in the Super Bowl against the San Francisco 49ers. He jokingly credited the team’s contingent of fellow Delaware alums — general manager Brett Veach, offensive coordinator Matt Nagy and passing game coordinator Joe Bleymaier — as the secret for its success.
He compared the Chiefs’ effort to repeat their victory with his own re-election efforts.
“At last year’s Super Bowl celebration, I said this team was building a dynasty, which means everyone’s coming to you,” Biden said. “After starting this season red hot, you all had your share of struggles. And when the doubters questioned if you could pull it off again, believe me, I know what that feels like.”
Biden also praised Kansas City’s handling of the deadly shooting at their championship parade, in which multiple members of the team were reported to have helped comfort shaken attendees. He used the opportunity to call for the country to “do more to stop the tragic shootings before they happen.”
While not mentioned in the proceedings, Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker was in attendance three weeks after calling Biden “delusional” and questioning the President’s Catholic faith in a commencement speech that proved to be highly divisive.
Also there was safety Justin Reid, who humorously praised a recent rule change that could mean he takes over kickoffs from Butker.
