Super Bowl 2025 'ring of steel' as Donald Trump and Taylor Swift spark unprecedented security
Super Bowl 2025 'ring of steel' as Donald Trump and Taylor Swift spark unprecedented security
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An unprecedented ring of steel has been thrown around the biggest show on Earth as New Orleans locks down in preparation for Super Bowl LIX. Sunday night's game - between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles - has always been a prime target for potential attacks, given the millions of eyes on it. But in a city just a few weeks removed from the ISIS-inspired truck attack that left 14 dead - and 20 years on from deadly Hurricane Katrina - authorities in the Big Easy are taking unprecedented steps.
And if the biggest security operation ever seen at a Super Bowl wasn't already complicated enough, Donald Trump's reported last-minute move to attend the game has made things even more difficult. Already a magnet for controversy, his presence has thrown law enforcement into overdrive, forcing them to shut down additional streets and create a protected corridor for the president. Anne Kirkpatrick, Superintendent of the New Orleans Police Department, admitted that his attendance has "heightened security beyond our initial plans", but in reality, it is Taylor Swift, not Trump, who will truly command the stadium's attention.
The Shake It Off hitmaker, the biggest pop star on the planet, is expected to overshadow Trump's presence as she arrives to support her boyfriend, Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, in what could be the most-watched Super Bowl in history. Kansas City are aiming to lift their third consecutive Super Bowl trophy, with fans paying on average £8,543 a ticket on the secondary market to be at the game. Cameras will follow the singer's every move, her mere presence turning the gridiron clash into a pop culture event of staggering proportions, bringing in a new kind of fan to the sport. "I never cared about American football before, but now I'm completely obsessed because of Taylor and Travis," Jessica Martin, 27, a lifelong Swift superfan from Las Vegas, told the Mirror.
"Seeing her at the games, supporting him, and just being so involved has made me actually learn the rules and get excited for the Super Bowl. I never thought I'd be planning my Sunday around an NFL game, but here we are. Taylor has added a new dimension to the game and thousands more fans.". Last year, females accounted for a record 47.5 per cent of the total Super Bowl audience acknowledged due to the 'Taylor Swfit Affect'. Elsewhere, Trump, who thrives on being the centre of attention, is about to experience something rare - a moment in which he is completely upstaged.
With 155,000 fans, celebrities, and dignitaries - including Taylor Swift and President Donald Trump- set to descend on New Orleans, a security operation unlike anything seen before is in full force. Armoured SWAT vehicles patrol the streets, rooftop snipers scan the crowds, federal air marshals monitor transit hubs, and dozens of bomb-sniffing dogs comb every inch of the Caesars Superdome. The FBI, Secret Service, and Homeland Security have joined local police in a coordinated mission to prevent catastrophe, knowing that the stakes could not be higher.
With memories of the New Year's terrorist attack still fresh and lawsuits over security lapses now dragging through the courts, the city is determined not to be caught off guard again. Mayor LaToya Cantrell has assured the public: "We're going above and beyond what we've seen in the past when we've hosted. We know we're safer than we've ever been." But for many, words are not enough. Alarmingly, police have said that in accordance with state law, firearms, including permitless concealed carry guns, will be allowed on the city's famous Bourbon Street, where the terror attack was carried out.
Instead, the city's top cop, Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick, has issued a meek warning to those who plan to bring a weapon. "Booze and firearms don't mix", she said, adding that officers will monitor for anyone" negligently carrying," such as having a gun tucked in a waistband instead of a holster. "People will be extremely unwise to bring a firearm into our hospitality areas," Kirkpatrick said. "Don't do it; there's no need for it, folks.".
Security is at its highest level in Super Bowl history, with more than 2,000 law enforcement officers - the size of Derbyshire's constabulary - deployed across the city. The Superdome's owner, ASM Global, has contracted New York-based artificial intelligence firm Dataminr to monitor potential and emerging threats in real time. The company will draw from more than one million sources of public data across 150 languages, from social media to dark web forums to traffic cameras, Dataminr Chief Security Officer Robert Crowley said.
The company will use generative AI to produce memos alerting Superdome officials of trending patterns, such as an influx of posts showing swelling crowds or public disturbances as they unfold. "It's stitching together all these little pieces of the puzzle to get a holistic, comprehensive view of what has just happened," Crowley said. "The faster you know what is occurring, the quicker you can take better action." Every entry point to the city is under strict surveillance, with checkpoints at train stations, bus terminals, and even along highways leading into New Orleans.