Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley. Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Saquon Barkley responds to backlash after golfing with Donald Trump

Originally posted on Larry Brown Sports
By Steve DelVecchio | Last updated Apr 29, 2025 9:48 AM ET

Saquon Barkley spent some time with U.S. President Donald Trump before the Philadelphia Eagles visited the White House on Monday, and the star running back had a strong message for those who had a problem with it.

A video surfaced on Sunday that showed Barkley exiting the Marine One helicopter with Trump. The president was seen putting his arm around Barkley and chatting with the reigning NFL Offensive Player of the Year after the two reportedly played a round of golf together at Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, N.J.

Trump told reporters that Barkley is a “nice guy” and joked that he thought about racing the 2,000-yard rusher.

President Trump after round of golf with Saquon Barkley: "What a nice guy he is. I wanted to race him but I decided not to do it." pic.twitter.com/E56HWoRyHt
— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) April 28, 2025

Naturally, Barkley faced a lot of backlash. He issued a response to those critics on Monday morning.

lol some people are really upset cause I played golfed and flew to the White House with the PRESIDENT. Maybe I just respect the office, not a hard concept to understand. Just golfed with Obama not too long ago…and look forward to finishing my round with Trump ! Now ya get out my…
— Saquon Barkley (@saquon) April 28, 2025

Barkley likely knew that his decision to spend personal time with Trump would anger some people, but that does not mean he wanted to pass up on the unique opportunity.

This article first appeared on Larry Brown Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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