Whether it is the reigning champion Kansas City Chiefs or 2018 winner the Philadelphia Eagles who triumph today at Super Bowl LIX, Donald Trump has already scored a political touchdown.

“That’s history in the building,” the Fox broadcast team declared as Trump walked on to the field at the Super Dome just before kickoff to an equal mix of jeers and cheers. Shaking hands with the Chiefs’ Chris Jones, Trump then held a very public and very quick meet and greet with some of the family members of victims in the January 1 attack on Bourbon Street and emergency responders who were there that terrible morning.

Arriving at Air Station Joint Reserve Base New Orleans about 45 minutes earlier on Air Force One with the full pageantry of the presidency at his back, Trump made news on the plane with more on taking over Canada, Elon Musk, upcoming tariffs and declaring “Gulf of America Day.”

Taking over the Super Bowl and getting into a vast number of American households today is a classic Trump move. Though heavy handed and self-aggrandizing, the ploy was a near certain success, with Trump doing what any other major American politician would have been afraid to do.

Case in point: While still in the White House and in the midst of the 2024 campaign, Joe Biden turned down a pre-game interview that could have been seen by up to 100 million Americans. Today, after a prelude to the game and to a Lady Gaga performance on Bourbon Street, Trump doubled down on the biggest audience around.

Before that, Homeland Security already declared the Chiefs vs Eagles game a Special Event Assessment Rating (SEAR) Level 1 event last month. Trump’s presence, along with that of Louisiana native and House Speaker Mike Johnson, has ramped up the security even further, with the Secret Service essentially putting the Superdome on lockdown.

While Trump was on the way to NOLA from Florida surrounded by an entourage of Senators, Fox aired its sit-down with POTUS talking to Bret Baier. Starting off with a literal softball question about why Trump decided to be the first president to attend the Super Bowl, Baier quickly slipped over to the influence of Elon Musk, how he really wants to annex Canada and stock market jitters.

As he has in a number of big interviews, Baier sidestepped nearly every chance at a follow-up question, especially those related to major geopolitical shifts. Baier did bring it all back to the main topic of the day by quizzing Trump about the big game and who he thinks will win. Trump being Trump, he once again praised Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes, and his wife, Brittany for their perceived MAGA support and put his thumb on the scale for Kansas City.

Before the pre-taped interview with Baier aired, the White House released a Super Bowl message from Trump.

Extremely measured by Trump standards, the missive said in part:  

Football is America’s most popular sport—for good reason—it fosters a sense of national unity, bringing families, friends, and fans together and strengthening communities.  This annual tradition transcends our differences and personifies our shared patriotic values of family, faith, and freedom heroically defended by our military service members, law enforcement officers, and first responders.  We value their devotion to protecting our great Nation and salute their selfless service.
 
This year, the Super Bowl returns to the Caesars Superdome for a record setting 8th time.  While thousands of fans from across our Nation gather in New Orleans to cheer on their favorite team, we remember that 14 families will be missing a loved one who was tragically murdered during a senseless terrorist attack while celebrating the New Year on Bourbon Street.  Our thoughts are also with the 35 individuals injured during the attack whose lives were changed forever that fateful night, and our prayers will remain with them for continued strength, comfort, and healing.

With snipers on rooftops, military vehicles on the streets and troops and cops everywhere, Trump was scheduled to meet with families of those killed and injured in the horrific New Year’s Day attack in NOLA. However, White House pool reports had Trump heading straight to the stadium this afternoon — where he had his photo taken with the family members.

Add to the protective net over the Super Dome, Eagles fan and former First Lady Dr. Jill Biden is in the stadium, as is Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce’s love — and slightly popular songwriter — Taylor Swift. Neither women are friendly with Trump nor fans of the 45th and now 47th president.

Also expected to be in the Superdome Sunday are Timothée Chalamet, Miles Teller, Paul Rudd, Bradley Cooper (he intro’d the Eagles), Pete Davidson, and Jason Sudeikis. Kendrick Lamar and SZA, who are performing in the Apple Music sponsored halftime show, will be there too. With Roc Nation producing its sixth Super Bowl halftime show this year, Jay-Z is expected to be in NOLA also.

The Secret Service are going to be running a Michael Bay-directed recruiting ad during the Fox broadcast today. Amid scenes of JFK and Ronald Reagan, the ad features a photograph of agents surrounding Trump during the assassination attempt in Butler, PA during last year’s election:

On January 31, Transformers helmer Bay met briefly with Trump on the tarmac at Joint Base Andrews as the ex-Celebrity Apprentice host was on his way to Mar-a-Lago. Now, with Trump reposting the ads on X Sunday, we likely know what Bay was doing there and what they were talking about.