Disinvites Super Bowl champion Eagles from White House over anthem protests - though no Eagles kneeled

Trump abruptly canceled the Philadelphia Eagles' White House visit one day before the ceremony, citing the anthem controversy. In his statement, Trump said players 'disagree with their President because he insists that they proudly stand for the National Anthem.' However, not a single Eagles player had kneeled during the anthem all season. The real reason: only 2-3 players planned to attend, and Trump was furious about the potential embarrassment. Torrey Smith tweeted: 'So many lies. No one refused to go simply because Trump insists folks stand.' Philadelphia Mayor Kenney called Trump 'a fragile egomaniac obsessed with crowd size.' Trump held a 'Celebration of America' instead - where Fox News aired footage of Eagles kneeling that was actually them praying before games.

"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." — White House statement announcing Eagles disinvitation, June 4, 2018