President-Elect Trump Expected to Attend Army-Navy Game: Report

Donald Trump is expected to attend next Saturday’s annual showdown between Army and Navy in Landover, Md.

Dec 12, 2020; West Point, New York, USA; President Donald J. Trump smiles for a selfie with a Midshipmen from Annapolis during the first half of the Army-Navy game at Michie Stadium. / Danny Wild-Imagn Images

President-elect Donald Trump is expected to attend the Army-Navy game on Dec. 14, per a report in Politico on Thursday.

The site noted two anonymous sources who were briefed on the plans. There was no formal announcement.

Army is playing Tulane on Friday in the American Athletic Conference championship game, which is a first for the Black Knights. Then they will take on Navy at Northwest Stadium, the home of the Washington Commanders.

Army (10-1) is ranked No. 24 in the AP Top 25 and in the College Football Playoff Top 25. Navy (8-3) finished in a tie for second place in the American. Both teams will play a bowl game after their annual showdown.

Trump attended the game as president-elect in 2016, per Politico, and attended the game three other times as president.

This is just the second time the game has been played in Landover and Navy won the only matchup in 2011. The rivalry dates back to 1890 and Navy leads the series, 62-55-7.

Army, led by coach Jeff Monken, has won the last two games and six of the last eight games since 2016. Before that, Navy dominated the series, winning 14 straight games and 16 of 17 from 1999-2015.

Second-year Navy coach Brian Newberry will be looking for his first Army-Navy win as head coach.

As is recent tradition, both teams will be wearing uniforms based on a particular historic unit within their branch.

Army will wear black uniforms based on the markings of the 101st Airborne Division, with a specific emphasis on the division’s service in the Battle of Bulge, which was the last major German offensive of World War II. This year marks the 80th anniversary of one of the last, decisive battles of the conflict.

In fact, the date of the game will be two days before the Battle of The Bulge started on Dec. 16, 1944.

Navy will wear uniforms that will honor Fighter Squadron 17, also known as the “Jolly Rogers.” The squadron used the skull and crossbones insignia, in part because they flew F4U-1 Corsairs and corsair is an old nautical term for pirate.

By the end of World War II, the “Jolly Rogers” were considered the most lethal fighter squadron in Naval aviation history. The squadron had more than 150 kills in the Pacific, per the Navy.

While the VF-17 was eventually decommissioner, the skull and crossbones have flown on nine different aircraft in the Navy’s history.