SPORTS/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “President Trump said on Tuesday [6-5-18] that the United States Marine Band would ‘proudly’ play the national anthem at the White House during an afternoon event that had originally been planned as a celebration of the Philadelphia Eagles’ Super Bowl victory.In early-morning tweets, Mr. Trump obliquely questioned the patriotism of the Eagles and other N.F.L. players, some of whom have said they plan to stay in the locker room at the beginning of games when the national anthem is played…The Eagles had been scheduled to attend a celebration at the White House on Tuesday afternoon. But in a statement on Monday [6-4-18] night, Mr. Trump abruptly disinvited the team, accusing it of trying to make a political statement about the anthem. It was a continuation of a cultural controversy that Mr. Trump inflamed with repeated attacks on N.F.L. players for kneeling during the national anthem in protest of police brutality toward African-Americans. N.F.L. owners barred players last month from kneeling during the anthem, but allowed them to remain in the locker room instead.”
-Michael D. Shear, “Trump Says White House Celebration Will Go On, Without Eagles,” The New York Times online, June 5, 2018