WASHINGTON — WASHINGTON (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump will gather Saturday with allies and a Republican cause célèbre Army-Navy football match, a chance to experience one of college sports’ greatest rivalry stories while spotlighting his rising national security team.
Trump is expected to be accompanied by the newly elected vice president J.D. Vance, controversial Pentagon pick Pete Hegsethpotential backup defense option Gov. Florida’s Ron DeSantis and others for the 125th interservice academy game.
Also planning to attend Daniel Pennya military veteran who was acquitted this week of negligent homicide in the chokehold of an agitated subway passenger in New York. 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, who attended the Army and Navy games in 2016 and during his first term as president-elect, has made an increasing number of public appearances before his inauguration on Jan. 20, 2025. He was joined Thursday by his family and Vance as Him rang the opening bell of the New York Stock Exchange after being recognized as Time Magazine’s Person of the Year.
Trump spent the weeks after the Nov. 5 election at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida assembling a team to help lead his next administration. He and his aides have grown optimistic about Hegseth’s chances of winning Senate confirmation. The Army combat veteran and former Fox News host’s chances of becoming Secretary of Defense were high turned out to be in danger amid accusations of excessive drinking, sexual abuse and his views on women in combat.
DeSantis, a former Navy lawyer who ran against Trump for the Republican presidential nomination, is one of them possible replacement candidates Trump has been weighing whether Hegseth’s bid will fail.
Trump senior adviser Jason Miller said in a Newsmax interview on Friday that Hegseth “passed the gauntlet.” Miller predicted Hegseth will be confirmed.
“This is someone who was literally shot on the battlefield,” Miller added. “That’s the type of person I want to lead (the Defense Department) because when we’re making these decisions about whether to put American troops in harm’s way, I want someone who knows on a personal level what that’s like before you go and send a young man or young woman into battle.”
House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., is also expected to attend the game, bringing with him a contingent of other Republican lawmakers vying for face time with the incoming president, weeks before Republicans take control take over the three branches of the federal government.
Johnson said he plans to discuss plans with Trump for a legislative package that could pass Congress with a simple majority next year despite expected Democratic opposition.
Vance said Friday that Penny, a fellow Marine veteran, had accepted his invitation to Trump’s suite on the Army side. Penny was acquitted of negligent homicide in Neely’s death after a judge dismissed a more serious manslaughter charge last week because the jury was deadlocked on that point.
The case was a flashpoint in long-standing debates over racial justice as well as New York City’s failure to address homelessness and mental illness, which Neely had struggled with.
“Daniel is a good guy, and the New York District Attorney tried to ruin his life because he had a backbone,” Vance said in a message on can have and can appreciate how his fellow citizens greatly admire his courage.”
Hegseth planned to stay in a suite with some Medal of Honor recipients, according to a person familiar with Hegseth’s schedule.
Trump’s choice for Navy Secretary John Phelan, a businessman who never served in the militaryand for Army Secretary, Dan Driscollan Iraq War veteran and former senior adviser to Vance, is also expected to attend, said the person, who was not authorized to discuss these details publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.
Kickoff is after 3:00 PM EST at Northwest Stadium, home of the NFL’s Washington Commanders, in Landover, Maryland.
Army (11-1) is ranked 19th The Associated Press Top 25 after beating Tulane on Dec. 6 to win the American Athletic Conference – the first league title of any kind in the team’s 134-year history. Navy (8-3) rose to the top of the rankings earlier this season after starting with six straight wins
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Madhani reported from West Palm Beach, Florida. AP sports writer Noah Trister in Baltimore and Associated Press writer Farnoush Amiri contributed to this report.