LANDVAR, Md. (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump rallied with allies and Republican cause figures at Saturday’s Army-Navy football game, taking on one of college sports’ most storied rivals. The spotlight was on emerging national security teams.
President Trump was joined by Vice President-elect J.D. Vance, Pentagon candidate Pete Hegseth, and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, a candidate for the deputy secretary of defense. I watched the game where they defeated Japan 31-13.
Daniel Penny, the military veteran who was acquitted of manslaughter in the strangling death of an agitated subway passenger in New York last week, was also a guest in the presidential suite. Penny was invited by Vance, who accused prosecutors of trying to “ruin” Penny’s life by indicting the Marine Corps veteran for Jordan Neely’s death in 2023.
President Trump arrived at Northwest Stadium just before kickoff and was warmly welcomed by the crowd. Cheers erupted when President-elect Vance and Elon Musk appeared on the scoreboard video. Trump appointed him to lead the proposed Department of Government Efficiency. screen.
The president, who was sitting in a stadium suite with his entourage, said, “Thank you,” and the crowd erupted into chants of “America, America!”
Trump, who attended an Army-Navy game during his first term as president-elect in 2016, has been making more public appearances ahead of his inauguration ceremony on January 20, 2025. His family and Mr. Vance were also present Thursday. He was recognized as Time Magazine’s Person of the Year and rang the opening bell of the New York Stock Exchange.
Trump spent the weeks after the Nov. 5 election holed up at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, building a team to help guide the incoming administration.
He and his aides are bullish about Hegseth’s chances of winning Senate confirmation. The Army combat veteran and former Fox News host’s chances to become secretary of defense were in jeopardy due to allegations of excessive drinking, sexual assault and views on women in combat.
Mr. DeSantis, a former Navy lawyer who ran against Mr. Trump for the Republican presidential nomination, is one of the candidates Mr. Trump is considering to replace Mr. Hegseth if his bid fails.
But Saturday’s game gave Trump an opportunity to demonstrate his commitment to Hegseth’s nomination. The embattled candidate also stood with Trump and Vance during the national anthem.
There was a celebratory mood for President Trump and his team on Saturday.
Hegseth posted a short video to , making their allegiance clear.
“We love the Navy, except today,” said Walz, a retired Army National Guard colonel who served multiple combat tours in Afghanistan, the Middle East and Africa.
“Go join the military!” Gabbard added.
President Trump also spent time during the game with Air Force Gen. Brown, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff whose future could be uncertain in the new Trump administration.
Biden appointed Brown last year to a four-year term as the nation’s highest-ranking military officer, but military leaders serve at the president’s pleasure.
Brown, a combat pilot and the second black officer to serve as chair, spoke about the prejudice he has faced in his life and career in the wake of the police killing of George Floyd, which became a touchstone for the Black Lives Matter movement. talked about.
But President Trump has expressed disdain for equity and diversity programs. And Hegseth, who was nominated to be secretary of defense, denounced a “woke” agenda that he said was undermining the U.S. military. Days before he was announced as Trump’s Pentagon nominee, Hegseth called for the firing of Brown and other generals who have promoted diversity policies on a podcast hosted by former Navy SEAL Sean Ryan. .
President Trump also spent time with Republican lawmakers, saying he needed to get his agenda through Congress.
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) was one of the lawmakers who chatted with President Trump during the game. He was accompanied by a contingent of other Republicans, including incoming Senate Majority Leader John Thune and Sen. David McCormick of Pennsylvania, in the weeks before Republicans take control of the White House and both branches of Congress. They competed for face-to-face time with the president.
Mr Johnson, who was seen speaking with the president-elect before kickoff, said he would discuss with Mr Trump a bill that could be passed by Congress with a simple majority next year in the face of expected Democratic opposition.
Vance brought along Penny, a fellow Marine veteran, as a guest. Last week, Mr Penny was acquitted of manslaughter in Ms Neely’s death after the jury deadlocked on that charge after a judge dismissed a more serious charge of manslaughter.
The incident not only sparked a long-standing debate over racial justice, but also New York City’s failure to address homelessness and mental illness, which Neely suffered from.
“Daniel is a good guy. New York’s mob district attorney tried to ruin Daniel’s life because he had a backbone,” Vance posted on Friday’s X. “I am grateful that he accepted my invitation. I hope he enjoys himself and realizes how much his countrymen admire his courage.”
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