Saquon Barkley’s Golf Outing with President Donald Trump Sparks Debate. But Should It?
Person putting on the green. Photo via Pexels
On the afternoon of April 27, just one day before the Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles visited the White House, star running back Saquon Barkley checked off something many people have on their bucket list: playing golf with the President of the United States.
After attending the funeral of Pope Francis in Rome, President Trump flew back to the U.S. and traveled to the Trump National Golf Club Bedminster in New Jersey, where he met with the reigning NFL Offensive Player of the Year.
The two spent the day golfing together before flying on Air Force 1 back to the White House, where Barkley would meet some, not all, of his teammates for the official ceremony.
During the ceremony, President Trump specifically mentioned Barkley’s name, stating that he told Barkley's former team, the New York Giants, to keep him by any means necessary.
“By the way, I have to tell you something. I was with the Giants, the head coach and some people. And I said, 'Do anything you have to, but don't lose Saquon.' They lost Saquon,” Trump said as Barkley, Eagles general manager Howie Roseman and several others laughed. “That was not good. I called that one. That was an easy one to call because he played damn well for the Giants, I can tell you that,” he said.
The New York Giants have since denied this claim, saying that they never spoke with the president about resigning Barkley.
The president's love for the running back is undeniable. While Barkley has not publicly endorsed President Trump politically, in the public eye, it appears that they have taken a liking to each other.
Unfortunately for Barkley, President Trump is an extremely polarizing figure. For the last week, Barkley has battled back and forth with people on X, proclaiming "lol some people are really upset cause I played golf and flew to the White House with the PRESIDENT. Maybe I just respect the office, not a hard concept to understand," Barkley also mentioned that he had "just golfed with Obama not too long ago… and look forward to finishing my round with Trump! Now ya get out my mentions with all this politics and have an amazing day."
This situation has posed a question that many people feel passionately about. Can you hang out with the president without agreeing politically? The immediate answer for most people would be “absolutely not.” I understand that mentality, because you have to be aware of the fact that by spending time with the president in the public eye, it will automatically be assumed that you align with them politically.
This situation puts a magnifying glass on the great divide in our country between the two political parties. It has become increasingly difficult in recent years for people to be friends with someone of a different political alliance, and Barkley is experiencing that in real time.
If you took the name away, and simply told someone that they have the opportunity to golf with the president of the United States, they would be a fool to decline. So, how can we as a society fault Barkley for taking a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity?
Barkley is an adult. He most likely has a political leaning, like almost everyone in the United States, but who cares! There is a reason why the old saying “don’t talk about politics at the dinner table” has some truth.
The American people elected the president, so for the fans and the media to shame Barkley for simply playing a round of golf with the president is absurd. Barkley is not responsible for any of Trump’s failures or successes; he is merely a man living out a childhood dream and capitalizing on a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity he may never get again.