President Donald Trump floated the idea of inviting former Presidents Barack Obama, George W. Bush and Joe Biden to the White House to watch a football game together, saying such a gathering would generate significant media attention.
Trump made the remarks during a podcast appearance with Second Lady Usha Vance, the wife of Vice President JD Vance, while discussing a children’s book about U.S. presidents.
As he flipped through the book, Trump paused to imagine bringing together members of the exclusive group of current and former commanders in chief for a sporting event.
“Maybe I should invite Barack Hussein Obama, Joe Biden, with the Bushes—or Bush,” Trump said. “Maybe I should invite some of those people to watch a football game together. Wouldn’t that be a nice story? The press would go wild.”
A clip of the exchange quickly circulated on social media after being shared by the account Clash Report, drawing attention because of Trump’s often-contentious relationships with several of his predecessors.
Trump has routinely criticized both Obama and Biden during campaign rallies, interviews and on social media throughout his political career. He has frequently blamed the two Democratic presidents for a range of domestic and foreign policy issues and has continued to reference them regularly since returning to office.
The comments therefore represented an unusual moment in which Trump publicly entertained a bipartisan gathering with former political rivals, albeit in a lighthearted context.
No invitation has been announced, and the White House has not indicated that plans are underway for such an event.
Trump’s remarks also came days after former President Obama addressed Trump’s repeated references to him during an appearance on the “ALL THE Smoke” podcast hosted by former NBA players Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson.
Speaking from the newly opened Obama Presidential Center in Chicago, Obama joked about Trump’s continued focus on him years after he left office.
“Look, you gotta ask him what it is — the obsession,” Obama said. “I obviously, you know, have a room in his head.”
Trump’s suggestion of a White House football gathering follows a long history of public exchanges between the two presidents dating back to Trump’s first presidential campaign in 2016, per The Hindustan Times.
Relations between Trump and Biden have also remained strained following the 2020 and 2024 elections, with both men frequently criticizing one another over policy and leadership.
Bush, while generally less vocal about Trump than Obama or Biden, has occasionally offered public comments emphasizing the importance of democratic institutions without directly engaging in many political disputes.
Whether the proposed football watch party was intended as a serious invitation or a humorous aside remains unclear. Trump acknowledged that such an event would likely become a major media story, saying reporters “would go wild” if it took place.
