Trump gets warm welcome as he watches Army-Navy game alongside key allies, nominees and Daniel Penny
Donald Trump huddled with allies and a Republican cause célèbre at the Army-Navy football game
LANDOVER, Md. (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump huddled with allies and a Republican cause célèbre at Saturday's Army-Navy football game, taking in one of the most storied rivalries in college sports while spotlighting his emerging national security team.
Trump was joined by Vice President-elect JD Vance, embattled Pentagon pick Pete Hegseth, potential backup defense secretary option Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, and others to watch Navy beat Army 31-13 in the 125th matchup between the service academies.
Daniel Penny, a military veteran who was acquitted of criminally negligent homicide this past week in the chokehold death of an agitated subway rider in New York, also was a guest in the president's suite. Penny was invited by Vance, who accused prosecutors of trying to “ruin" Penny's life by charging the Marine veteran in the death of Jordan Neely in 2023.
Trump arrived at Northwest Stadium just before kickoff and was greeted warmly by the crowd, which erupted in cheers when the president-elect, Vance and Elon Musk, who Trump has appointed to help lead a proposed Department of Government Efficiency, appeared on the scoreboard video screen.