The Philadelphia Eagles easily defeated the Kansas City Chiefs in New Orleans on Sunday night, with Jalen Hurts’ offense putting up 40 points against the 22 scored by Patrick Mahomes’ side, ending the Chiefs’ dreams of making history in Super Bowl LIX. The Kansas QB, without the support of his star tight end—and American pop singer Taylor Swift’s boyfriend—Travis Kelce, struggled in the pocket as the Chiefs’ offensive line collapsed throughout the game, which was dominated by the Eagles and their top-ranked NFL defence.

Another ‘Historic’ in the Bag

While Kansas fell at the gates of glory, history was still made on Sunday—and who else but US President Donald Trump could be at the centre of it? Flying to the Big Easy, Trump became the first sitting president in US history to attend a Super Bowl. Before the game for the Lombardi Trophy kicked off, he met with participants in the honorary coin toss at the Superdome, including relatives of victims of a deadly New Year’s Day terrorist attack, members of the police department, and emergency personnel.

Trump has long had a passion for sports—joining the ranks of a couple of world leaders, including his longtime ally, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán—but his love has never extended to the National Football League (NFL) itself. The president, who returned to office on 20 January following a historic comeback in last November’s election, has reportedly expressed interest in owning an NFL team as far back as the 1980s. However, after a series of failed attempts, he instead purchased the New Jersey Generals, a team in the NFL-rival United States Football League (USFL), which later folded. During his first presidency, Trump was a vocal critic of NFL players who kneeled during the national anthem, siding with those who opposed political activism in professional sports.

It is somewhat symbolic that Trump made history as the first president to attend a Super Bowl final just days after signing an executive order banning men—transgender women—from competing in women’s sports, a decision that sent progressives into a frenzy. Trump also put an end to another woke encroachment into sports: the so-called diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programmes. While this cancellation applied across the federal government, the NFL has already indicated it will at least scale back these initiatives—starting with the removal of DEI messages from end zones, as early as the Super Bowl.

In a statement before the game, Trump praised the coaches, players, and staff of the Chiefs and Eagles, saying they ‘represent the hopes and dreams of our nation’s young athletes as we restore safety and fairness in sports and equal opportunities among their teams.’ He also told reporters he would bet on a Chiefs victory, stating that Mahomes ‘really knows how to win.’

Fans Verdict over Trump Versus Swift Feud

As the two teams battled in what was ultimately an underwhelming game, the Eagles led 24–0 at halftime, keeping Kansas scoreless and quickly dispelling Trump’s prediction about the match’s outcome. However, the president continued to claim victories of his own in the stadium. The Super Bowl is traditionally attended by dozens of celebrities each year, and this year was no exception. Among them, of course, was Taylor Swift, US pop star and girlfriend of Chiefs’ tight end Travis Kelce—who likely played the worst game of his career, with no receiving yards until the third quarter. Swift was one of many celebrities and public figures who vocally supported the Democrats and Kamala Harris during the 2024 campaign.

Swift’s ongoing feud with Trump dates back to 2018, when she endorsed Democratic Senate candidate Phil Bredesen in Tennessee. Since then, the two have frequently clashed, exchanging remarks about each other’s political views, mostly through social media. Their war of words reignited recently after Trump commented on Swift’s endorsement of Harris, saying in an interview that he preferred Patrick Mahomes’ wife, Brittany Mahomes, far more.

He later escalated the feud with a post on Truth Social, bluntly stating: ‘I HATE TAYLOR SWIFT!’ Reports suggest that Swift and Brittany Mahomes avoid each other at games due to their political differences, with Mahomes being a Trump supporter.

Swift’s presence at Chiefs games has been contentious among NFL fans ever since her relationship with Kelce became public in September 2023, with many criticizing the frequent camera shots of her in the stands during broadcasts. However, on Sunday, Trump stole the spotlight. When Swift appeared on the jumbotron, the crowd booed her for an extended period, while Trump received a raucous cheer. After the game, the president mocked Swift on Truth Social, writing: ‘The only one that had a tougher night than the Kansas City Chiefs was Taylor Swift. She got BOOED out of the stadium. MAGA is very unforgiving!’

‘DEI Halftime Show’

Of course, we cannot ignore another ‘historic’ performance—the Super Bowl halftime show featuring Kendrick Lamar. After dominating the charts for months and recently winning five Grammys, Lamar became the first solo rapper to perform during one of the most-watched entertainment spectacles in the world. While Lamar has claimed he avoids being framed as a political symbol, his song 'Alright' quickly became an anthem of the Black Lives Matter movement. He has also previously criticized Donald Trump in his lyrics.

In today’s deeply divided America, that alone would be enough for both Democrats and Republicans to view his performance through a political lens. Some argue that Lamar’s show directly targeted Trump and his executive order cancelling DEI programs. The performance was narrated by American actor Samuel L Jackson, a vocal and outspoken critic of Trump, with one particular moment seemingly taking a swipe at the president. In one interlude, Jackson told Lamar that he was ‘too ghetto’, before switching tones and saying: ‘Yes! America wants slow, chill music.’ The camera then cut to Lamar’s all-black backup dancers arranged in the formation of an American flag.

‘The halftime show you just watched is clearly the regime’s response to Trump’s historic gains with black men,’ Matt Gaetz, former US representative for Florida and Trump’s first pick for attorney general after his November victory wrote. Right-wing commentator Jack Posobiec went even further, labelling Lamar’s show the ‘DEI Halftime Show’.

Meanwhile, Vox author Kyndall Cunningham lamented that Lamar did not take a more direct jab at Trump, noting that the performance focused ‘more on Drake (most streamed rapper of all time, who has been beefing with Lamar for years, with some arguing that this rivalry played a significant role in Lamar securing the halftime show performance—ed.) than politic’. Regardless, public reception has been overwhelmingly negative, with many calling it ‘the worst halftime show ever’.

The ‘Hungarians’ of Super Bowl LIX

There was also a Hungarian connection to the Super Bowl, with both teams featuring individuals of Hungarian descent either on the roster or among the coaching staff. For Kansas, this was Matt Nagy, a former quarterback and head coach, currently serving as the Chiefs’ offensive coordinator. Nagy previously worked under head coach Andy Reid in Philadelphia before moving to Kansas, then took over as head coach of the Chicago Bears in 2018. He later returned to Kansas, where he initially worked as Patrick Mahomes’ quarterbacks coach before being promoted to offensive coordinator in 2024. For a long time, Nagy was considered Reid’s likely successor at the helm of the Chief Kingdom, though reports in early January suggested he was interviewed for the head coach position at the New York Jets. He undeniably bears some responsibility for Sunday’s defeat, as the Chiefs' offense was completely outplayed and dismantled by the Eagles’ defence.

On the other side, Philadelphia had Brett Toth, an offensive tackle who first joined the Eagles in 2019 and returned for a second stint in 2023. Toth missed the 2023 Super Bowl—the ‘first leg’ of this matchup—when the Chiefs narrowly won 38–35. After Sunday’s victory, it is not hard to guess who the happier ‘Hungarian’ is.

And finally, a potential connection to Hungary: US Ambassador to Hungary hopeful Bryan Leib recently gave an interview to Hungarian Conservative, where he confidently predicted an Eagles victory. ‘As a proud Philly native and a die-hard Eagles fan, I can confidently—and totally without bias—predict that the Philadelphia Eagles will win this year’s Super Bowl,’ he stated.

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