Ivanka Trump's Son Playing Football With Eagles' Saquon Barkley Goes Viral

Ivanka Trump's son Theodore Kushner took on Philadelphia Eagles star Saquon Barkley in a running race and played football with him at the White House on Monday. A video posted to X, formerly Twitter, and Instagram has racked up more than 1 million views on each platform.

Newsweek reached out to Barkley's representative via email for comment.

The Context

In February, the Eagles won the Super Bowl 40-22 against the Kansas City Chiefs. Per tradition, the Super Bowl champions are honored at the White House every year.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt announced last month that the NFL team would be headed to the White House for a visit with President Donald Trump in April.

"I know there was a lot of fake news about an invitation that wasn't sent or was sent. We want to correct the record: We sent an invitation," Leavitt said during a White House briefing on March 11. "They enthusiastically accepted, and you will see them here on April 28."

Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts made headlines last week after he paused and walked away when a reporter at TIME magazine's TIME100 Gala asked if he was "planning on visiting the White House next week." Hurts did not attend, though Trump called him "a terrific guy and a terrific player" on Monday.

The Eagles won their first Super Bowl in 2018, but their visit with Trump—who was in his first term in office at the time—was canceled over a dispute. That year, fewer than 10 members of the team planned to attend the event.

Trump said he opposed players kneeling during the national anthem, a gesture that former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick started in 2016 as a way to protest police brutality and racism.

"The Philadelphia Eagles are unable to come to the White House with their full team to be celebrated tomorrow," Trump said in 2018. "They disagree with their president because he insists that they proudly stand for the national anthem, hand on heart, in honor of the great men and women of our military and the people of our country."

Following the news, the Eagles said in a statement: "It has been incredibly thrilling to celebrate our first Super Bowl Championship. Watching the entire Eagles community come together has been an inspiration. We are truly grateful for all of the support we have received and we are looking forward to continuing our preparations for the 2018 season."

What To Know

Trump's eldest daughter, Ivanka Trump, took to X and Instagram on Monday to share a video of son Theodore (Theo) with Barkley.

Ivanka Trump, 43, shares three children with husband Jared Kushner, 44: Arabella Rose, Joseph Frederick and Theodore James.

"Celebrating with champions at the White House today! 🏅🎉Congratulations to the @Eagles on an amazing season and Super Bowl win!" she said on social media. "My highlight of the day? Theo challenging @saquon to a race in the Rose Garden after my father wisely demurred ! 😂 Thanks Saquon for being such a great sport ! 🦅🏆🥰."

In the clip, 9-year-old Theo can be seen throwing and catching a football with Barkley, 28, as well as running alongside him on the White House lawn.

Last month, Ivanka praised Theo's football skills on Instagram, noting that he played quarterback "in his first flag football tournament" and "the team advanced to the championship game held at Dallas Cowboys' practice stadium."

"A dream come true for my football-loving eight-year-old," she said on March 18, nine days before his ninth birthday.

What People Are Saying

Eagles running back Saquon Barkley responded to criticism for golfing with President Donald Trump on Sunday in a viral message posted to X on Monday: "lol some people are really upset cause I played golfed and flew to the White House with the PRESIDENT. Maybe I just respect the office, not a hard concept to understand. Just golfed with Obama not too long ago...and look forward to finishing my round with Trump! Now ya get out my mentions with all this politics and have amazing day." His post has 29.7 million views.

The White House's official X account responded to his post: "'Now ya get out my mentions with all this politics and have amazing day 😂' –@Saquon."