Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce is facing backlash for saying it’s “awesome” that Donald Trump will be at the Super Bowl, given the president’s past words about Kelce’s girlfriend, Taylor Swift. But, for the hosts of “The View,” the footballer’s response was “really classy.”
Speaking to reporters ahead of Sunday’s game against the Philadelphia Eagles, Kelce was asked for his thoughts on Trump’s attendance, given the fact that Trump has previously declared “I HATE TAYLOR SWIFT!” on social media.
“That’s awesome. It’s a great honor,” Kelce said. “I think, you know, no matter who the president is, I know I’m excited because it’s the biggest game of my life. And having the president there, you know, it’s the best country in the world. So, that’d be pretty cool.”
Watching the clip during Friday morning’s Hot Topics discussion, the ABC hosts immediately rallied behind the athlete — led by the show’s resident Swiftie, Alyssa Farah Griffin.
“This Taylor Swift fan is not mad about it,” she said. “I thought it was totally classy, a diplomatic answer, and it’s his day to be playing. And also, by the way — I think I’m going to repeat this a lot in the next four years — the presidency is bigger than any one person. He’s proud that the president of the United States is there, I don’t know that it’s any kind of statement about Donald Trump specifically.”
Host Ana Navarro agreed, adding that if Kelce had spoken out against Trump, “It would be taken out on his team.” Sara Haines pointed out the fact that Kelce was in uniform when he gave his answer almost certainly played a part.
“Whenever you’re in — whether it’s your company, your brand, your team — you’re representing more than yourself,” she explained. “And he made a point of saying, ‘I love this country.’ That was not, ‘I’m a big fan, I love this person,’ he was essentially saying, ‘I love this country.’”
“That was the tell,” Sunny Hostin further agreed. She then noted that fans are familiar with Travis Kelce’s brother, and how “protective over their women” both men typically are. Hostin also seriously doubted that Travis missed Trump’s proclaimed hatred of Swift.
“I’m pretty sure that Travis Kelce knows that,” she said. “He was being a diplomat, and I think he did the right thing by not giving into the madness.”
“The View” airs weekdays at 11 a.m. ET on ABC.
