President Biden will host the Kansas City Chiefs, the victors of the Super Bowl, at the White House in the coming week.
The Kansas City Chiefs are making their second visit to the White House in two years, celebrating their back-to-back Super Bowl championships for the first time in two decades. The visit comes after a noteworthy season with pop star Taylor Swift and Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce going public with their relationship. However, it's doubtful Swift will join Kelce, as she's touring Europe for her "Eras Tour" and has concerts scheduled in Madrid and Lyon.
Speaking to journalists after last year's visit, quarterback Patrick Mahomes described the trip as surreal: "I've never been to Washington, D.C., and never even got to see the White House or any of the monuments or memorials. So, to be here and see this, and experience the history of this great nation... it was really cool for me to just be here and be in the moment."
The visit may hold some tension after kicker Harrison Butker criticized Biden (who's Catholic) and other unnamed Catholic leaders for promoting harmful gender ideologies. This criticism arose from Butker's commencement speech at Benedictine College in Atchison, Kansas, on speaking to female students about their career goals versus family life.
"I want to speak directly to you," Butker said in his speech. "How many of you are sitting here now about to cross this stage and are thinking about all the promotions and titles you're going to get in your careers? Some of you may go on to lead successful careers in the world, but I would venture to guess that most of you are most excited about your marriages and the children you will bring into this world."
Butker also praised his wife, Isabelle, saying, "She would be the first to say her life truly started when she began living her vocation as a wife and as a mother."
Following this, Chiefs head coach Andy Reid assured reporters that Butker would be present during the team's visit, stating, "Oh, yeah, he'll be here."
Press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre declined to comment on the situation when asked if the White House expected Butker to attend the celebrations. "Honestly, we invite the entire team, and that's always what we do. I don't have anything beyond that."
Meanwhile, Mahomes supported Butker, telling reporters, "He's a good person, and I'm not going to judge him by that. I judge him by the way he acts every day. I'm not going to get into the full details of the entire speech, but I know what type of person he is, and I'm going to make sure I consider that first."
Reid said he converses with Butker often but did not discuss the speech personally. "We're a microcosm of life here. Each of us is from different areas, different religions, and different races, and we all get along. We all respect each other's opinions, and even though we may not all agree, we still respect everyone's voice."
"It's great about America and we're just a reflection of that," he continued. "My hope is that everybody could follow that. ... I don't think he was speaking ill to women. He has his opinions, and we all respect that. I let you all in this room, and you have a lot of opinions that I don't like."
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The Kansas City Chiefs' kicker, Harrison Butker, expressed his views on gender ideologies in a commencement speech, which sparked some discussion before the team's visit to the White House. Despite the criticism directed towards President Biden, Chiefs head coach Andy Reid confirmed that Butker would be present during the visit.
Source: edition.cnn.com
