For the second year in a row, the Kansas City Chiefs are going back to the White House
The Kansas City Chiefs are headed back to Washington.
The White House on Friday announced that it will hold a ceremony honoring the Chiefs’ victory in Super Bowl LVIII, on Friday, May 31, marking the team’s second trip in two years.
During the last White House ceremony, President Joe Biden said the Chiefs were building a dynasty and praised the team’s success under head coach Andy Reid and called quarterback Patrick Mahomes “one of the greatest quarterbacks of his generation — and I predict of any generation.”
This year’s playoff run may have confirmed the dynasty, with the Chiefs’ 25-22 win over the San Francisco 49ers.
The trip marks another chance for the Chiefs to celebrate their success after the last celebration — the parade in Kansas City — was marred by a shooting that killed one woman and wounded 22 others, including 11 children.
Biden denounced the shooting, saying it should “shock” the country into acting to prevent gun violence.
“We have to decide who we are as a country,” Biden said at the time. “For me, we’re a country where people should have the right to go to school, to go to church, to walk the street — and to attend a Super Bowl celebration — without fear of losing your life to gun violence.”
Last year, Biden met with Mahomes, Reid and tight end Travis Kelce in the Oval Office. Kelce later called the experience “eye-opening” and said Biden was in it “for the right reasons.”
That was before Kelce became known globally for one of the biggest story lines of the season — his relationship with music superstar Taylor Swift.
It is unclear whether Swift, who endorsed Biden in 2020, will attend the ceremony. She is in Europe for her Eras Tour, with a concert the night before in Madrid and another one that Sunday in Lyon, France.
The trip comes after Chiefs’ kicker Harrison Butker’s controversial speech at Benedictine College, during which he criticized Biden. The White House said last week Butker is still welcome.
