This year's Super Bowl could see the Kansas City Chiefs make history, with the chance of winning their third consecutive title. But before their match against the Philadelphia Eagles started, Donald Trump was already making history at the New Orleans stadium by becoming the first sitting US president to attend the huge sporting fixture. The 78-year-old had spent his Sunday morning golfing with Tiger Woods at his Palm Beach resort in Florida before flying to the big game on Air Force One. President Trump was taken to the Caesars Superdome by motorcade just an hour before the game got underway.
![[Trump saluting at Super Bowl]](https://i2-prod.mirror.co.uk/article34645913.ece/ALTERNATES/s615b/1_Super-Bowl-LIX-Pregame.jpg)
There he met with survivors of the January 1 attack in New Orleans, which claimed the lives of 14 and injured more than a dozen others. With over 120 million people tuning in for the biggest NFL game of the year, the commander-in-chief made sure he was seen shaking hands with spectators ahead of the big game, walking out onto the pitch while the Chiefs and the Eagles were warming up. Trump told reporters that he was there because "I thought it would be a good thing for the country to have the president be at the game." He added: "It's an iconic day. It's going to be a great game, two great teams, and let's see what happens.".
With the president on the pitch, Kansas City Chiefs' defensive tackle Chris Jones took a break from warming up to run over and greet Trump, shaking his hand and sharing a few brief words before continuing his preparations. In an interview that aired before kick-off, Trump even went as far to pick his favourites to win. Speaking to Fox News, he said: “I guess, you have to say that when a quarterback wins as much as he’s won, I have to go with Kansas City.
"I have to go with Kansas City. At the same time, Philadelphia has a fantastic game, it’s going to be a great game,”. Trump was greeted by cheers from the crowd as he arrived, alongside two of his children, Ivanka and Eric, as well as his grandson Theodore. Later, as the 83,000 football fans in attendance stood for a rendition of the national anthem, the US President could be seen saluting the crowd, with his hand hovering just over his eyebrow - despite the long-standing tradition that the commander-in-chief places their hand over their heart.
