President-elect Trump takes in Army-Navy game with powerhouse posse

President-elect Trump took in the Army-Navy football game with a power posse that included his running mate, the world’s richest man, a host of cabinet hopefuls and a newly cleared subway hero from New York City.

The soon-to-be 47th president arrived at the 125th edition of the game Saturday at Northwest Stadium in Landover, Maryland, less than 15 miles from the White House. Trump was joined in a suite by his running mate, Vice President-elect JD Vance; Speaker of the House Mike Johnson; incoming Senate Majority Leader John Thune, Elon Musk, nominee for Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, Tulsi Gabbard, Trump’s choice for director of national intelligence, and Daniel Penny, who was recently acquitted of charges in the death of subway menace Jordan Neely.

Navy won the game, 31-13, behind quarterback Blake Horvath, who passed for two touchdowns and ran for two more. The Midshipmen raised their record to 9-3, while the loss dropped Army to 11-2. Both teams have had strong seasons. Navy will face Oklahoma in the Armed Forces Bowl, and Army is slated to play in the Independence Bowl, although no opponent has been announced since Marshall dropped out.

But as big a story as the game itself was the VIP spectators. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Navy veteran who has been floated as a possible alternate to Hegseth should his confirmation fail, was seen on the sidelines.

During the national anthem, Trump saluted along with the service members in attendance.

Trump attended the annual rivalry game throughout his presidency, first attending in 2016 shortly after winning that year’s election. He also was at the game during each year of his presidency, including in 2020 at West Point. 

Saturday marked his sixth time at the game since 2016 and his first since 2020. Throughout his presidency, he would be on the field for pregame events, including the coin toss.

For the first time, both programs entered the game with a combined 19 wins (Army is 11-1, while Navy is 8-3). 

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Penny was acquitted earlier this week in a racially charged trial. He could have faced up to 15 years in prison if convicted of the most serious charge, but in the end was found not guilty by a jury that believed he acted to defend fellow subway riders when he put Neely in a fatal chokehold. He attended as a guest of Vance.

With Army playing in the American Athletic Conference this season, both teams have spent time in the Top 25. This will be their first meeting this season and will be a non-conference game. 

Outside of bragging rights for their respective military academies, this year’s game marks the first time since 2017 the winner will have a chance to secure the Commander-In-Chief’s Trophy, thanks to wins by Army and Navy over Air Force this season. It also marks the first time since 2017 that both teams enter the matchup having clinched spots in bowl games. 

Army won its first conference title earlier this month after a win over Tulane in the AAC championship game to improve to 11-1. But that accomplishment pales in comparison to what’s at stake Saturday. 

Fox News’ Paulina Dedaj contributed to this report.

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