White House Deputy Press Secretary Lindsay Walters confirmed to reporters that President Donald Trump will be attending this year’s 119th Army-Navy Game at Philadelphia’s Lincoln Financial Field this weekend.
It will be the first time a sitting president has been to the annual rivalry since 2011. Trump first attended the game in 2016 when he was president-elect.
“It is an honor and a privilege to have the Commander-in-Chief attend the Army-Navy game," Vice Admiral Walter E. Carter Jr., the U.S. Naval Academy superintendent, said Wednesday morning in a statement, according to the Washington Post.
"This is the biggest rivalry in sports, but more than that, it is a visible demonstration to the American people that in spite of being rivals on the field their military is united and stands in defense of their freedom,” he added.
Trump sent a tweet last year saying he would be watching the game on T.V.:
Have a great game today, @USArmy and @USNavy - I will be watching.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 9, 2017
We love our U.S. Military. On behalf of an entire Nation, THANK YOU for your sacrifice and service! #ArmyNavyGame #USA???? pic.twitter.com/8m1W9rFwIh
Last year, then-Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Deputy Secretary of Defense Patrick Shanahan were in attendance.
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson at the #ArmyNavyGame pic.twitter.com/LZFXRf90JP
— Julio Rosas (@Julio_Rosas11) December 9, 2017
The Navy Midshipmen are set to face off against the Army Black Knights at 3:00 P.M on Saturday.