Leah Millis/Reuters
White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders on Tuesday afternoon released a statement attempting to clarify the ordeal behind President Trump’s canceling a visit with the Philadelphia Eagles and accused the Super Bowl champs of “abandoning their fans.” Trump on Monday announced that the Eagles would not visit on Tuesday, falsely claiming the team protested the national anthem last season. “They disagree with their President because he insists that they proudly stand for the National Anthem,” the president posted on Twitter. “The Eagles wanted to send a smaller delegation, but the 1,000 fans planning to attend the event deserve better.” Sanders on Tuesday claimed the White House repeatedly attempted to reschedule the event with the Eagles, but said: “Unfortunately, the Eagles offered to send only a tiny handful of representatives, while making clear that the great majority of players would not attend the event, despite planning to be in D.C. today. In other words, the vast majority of the Eagles team decided to abandon their fans.” She added that the White House will instead host for the Eagles fans who planned to attend “a celebration of the American flag with Eagles fans and performances by United States Marine Band and the United States Army Chorus.”