President-elect Donald Trump huddled with allies and a Republican cause célèbre at Saturday’s Army-Navy football game at Northwest Stadium in Landover, Maryland, celebrating one of college sports’ most storied rivalries while highlighting his emerging national security team.
According to CBS Sports, Navy defeated Army 31-13 on Saturday to win the Commander-In-Chief’s Trophy.
During the game, Trump sat in the box of Pennsylvania Senator-Elect Dave McCormick and Dina Powell McCormick, former deputy national security adviser.
He was joined by Vice President-elect JD Vance, embattled Pentagon pick Pete Hegseth, and others for the 125th match between service academies. Tulsi Gabbard, Trump’s pick for director of national intelligence, was spotted in the box.
Elon Musk, the billionaire chosen to co-lead the newly formed Department of Government Efficiency, was also seen with Trump.
Daniel Penny, a military veteran acquitted of criminally negligent homicide this week in the chokehold death of an agitated subway rider in New York, was also present. Vance invited Penny, accusing prosecutors of attempting to “ruin” Penny’s life by charging the Marine veteran with Jordan Neely’s death in 2023.
General Charles “CQ” Brown Jr., chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, was also seen sitting with Trump. The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff is the highest-ranking military officer in the country, serving as the president’s primary military adviser, as well as the defense secretary and the National Security Council.
Brown was nominated for the position by President Biden in May 2023.
Trump, who attended Army-Navy games as president-elect in 2016 and during his first two terms, has been making more public appearances ahead of his inauguration on January 20, 2025.
He was joined by his family and Vance on Thursday as he rang the opening bell for the New York Stock Exchange after being named Time magazine’s Person of the Year.
Trump spent the weeks following the November 5 election holed up at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, putting together a team to help lead his next administration. He and his advisers have grown optimistic about Hegseth’s chances of receiving Senate confirmation.
The Army combat veteran and former Fox News host’s chances of becoming defense secretary appeared to be in jeopardy following allegations of excessive drinking, sexual assault, and his views on women in combat.
In an interview with Newsmax on Friday, Trump senior adviser Jason Miller stated that Hegseth has “made it through the gauntlet.” Miller predicted that Hegseth would be confirmed.
“This is someone who’s literally been shot at on the battlefield,” she said. “That’s the type of person who I want leading the (Department of Defense) because as we make these decisions about whether or not to put American troops into harm’s way, I want someone who knows at a personal level what that’s like before you go and send some young man or young woman into battle.”
House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., attended the game with a group of other GOP lawmakers looking for face time with the incoming president just weeks before Republicans take control of all three branches of government.
Johnson said he intends to discuss with Trump plans for a legislative package that could pass Congress with a simple majority next year, despite expected Democratic opposition.
Vance announced Friday that Penny, a fellow Marine veteran, had accepted his invitation to Trump’s suite on the Army side.
Penny was acquitted of criminally negligent homicide in Neely’s death after a judge dismissed a more serious manslaughter charge last week because the jury deadlocked on it.
The case became a flashpoint in long-running debates about racial justice, as well as New York City’s failures to address homelessness and mental illness, both of which Neely had dealt with.
“Daniel’s a good guy, and New York’s mob district attorney tried to ruin his life just for having a backbone,” Vance wrote on X. “I’m grateful he accepted my invitation and hope he’s able to have fun and appreciate how much his fellow citizens admire his courage.”
Governor Wes Moore has declared December 14, 2024, as Army vs. Navy Game Day in Maryland.
“Today is about more than just one of college sports’ most intense rivalries; it’s about what unites us. Moore stated, “I am proud to be a part of the long tradition of service that defines our state and country; one that transcends background, ideology, race, and family history.”
Since 1930, the Navy Midshipmen and Army Black Knights have competed on the football field every year, even when the United States was fighting in WWII.