Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts went viral for his awkward response to a reporter's question about whether he's planning on visiting the White House with his Super Bowl-winning team—and it seems he probably wouldn't enjoy spending even just a few minutes with President Donald Trump.
Although team owner Jeffrey Lurie called being “celebrated at the White House” a “time-honored tradition,” Hurts was more reserved when asked by Time magazine Thursday night whether he planned to attend and see Trump.
Things got awkward—really awkward—when Hurts could only squirm and try and not look into the camera before walking away. The reporter could only stand there, also pretty awkwardly, we assume, before muttering a quick "thank you."
You can see what happened in the video below.
Awkward without a doubt, social media users pointed out.
Hurts' response differs from the one Kansas City Chiefs star Travis Kelce gave to reporters in February after telling reporters that Trump's planned attendance at the Super Bowl would be a "great honor"—despite Trump's repeated attacks on his girlfriend, pop star Taylor Swift.
At the time, Kelce said:
"It’s a great honor. I think you know, no matter who the president is, I know I’m excited because it’s the biggest game of my life, you know, and having the president there — it’s the best country in the world — and that’s pretty cool.”
That response sure was something considering last year conservative conspiracists suggested that the NFL rigged the season for Swift to attend, allegedly orchestrated by then-President Joe Biden and the CIA to boost ratings and promote a liberal political agenda.
Complicating matters, Trump targeted Swift and speculated about her potential endorsement of Biden in the early days of the 2024 election cycle, at one point making headlines after declaring "I HATE TAYLOR SWIFT" in a Truth Social post mere days days after Swift endorsed former Vice President Kamala Harris—a major development because Swift has used her massive profile to encourage young voters to participate in the electoral process.
Compare Kelce's response to Hurts' around the same time. Hurts responded with a simple “He’s welcome to do what he wants" when asked by reporters how he felt about Trump attending the game—night and day.