According to recent reports, Donald Trump has opted out of attending the Super Bowl this Sunday, allegedly due to concerns that he might face an unfriendly reception from the crowd. While the President initially cited the distance to Santa Clara, California, as the reason for skipping the NFL’s championship game, insiders suggest there’s more to the story.

Last month, Trump mentioned to the New York Post that the game was ‘just too far away,’ adding, ‘I would go if, you know, it was a little bit shorter.’ However, sources speaking to the progressive outlet Zeteo reveal that the real deterrent might be the potential for negative reactions from fans at the Bay Area venue, home of the San Francisco 49ers.

One White House official reportedly expressed that the likelihood of Trump being booed was ‘big league.’ Four individuals familiar with the situation indicated that the administration was particularly concerned about the wave of video clips and media scrutiny that such a scenario would inevitably generate.

A Trump adviser conveyed to Zeteo that avoiding a viral moment of this nature was crucial, stressing, ‘It would be another thing we don’t want right now.’ As Trump weighs the risks of public appearances, his decision to stay away from the Super Bowl reflects a strategic move to sidestep potential controversy.

One White House official said Trump’s chances of getting booed were ‘big league’, and four people familiar with the situation said the administration was worried about the slew of video clips and media coverage the scene would undeniably attract.

It would be ‘another thing we don’t want right now,’ a Trump adviser told the outlet on wanting to avoid such a viral moment.

Trump’s absence from the big game comes as his approval rating is plummeting amid outrage over the administration’s deadly immigration crackdown in Minneapolis and sticky inflation that continues to hammer families at the grocery store.

Reached for comment on the recent reporting, White House spokesperson Davis Ingle told the Daily Mail in a statement that if Trump ‘did attend the Super Bowl, he would receive a warm welcome because America knows he has done more to help this country than any other president in history.’ 

Last year Donald Trump became the first sitting president to attend the Super Bowl (pictured) – but this year he’s skipping it as sources say advisers were worried he would be booed

Super Bowl 60 will take place in the Bay Area Democratic-stronghold of Northern California. The Seattle Seahawks are facing off with the New England Patriots at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California – home to the San Francisco 49ers – on Sunday, February 8, 2026

Trump attended last year’s Super Bowl in New Orleans, Louisiana less than a month after becoming president again. He received a mixed review of boos and cheers.

In the 12 months since the Philadelphia Eagles beat the Kansas City Chiefs Trump’s approval rating has dramatically dropped.

Exclusive Daily Mail polling conducted by JL Partners shows the president with 45 percent approval at the end of January compared to 54 percent he reached at the start of the first year of his second term.

Trump’s policies remain divisive, the economy is a brutal sticking point with Americans for this administration and massive protests have ensued rebuking his agenda – mainly on immigration enforcement.

Just last month the president also received a mixed welcome from the crowd at the NCAA college football championship game in Miami between the Indiana Hoosiers and Miami Hurricanes.

He was also loudly jeered when attending a Washington Commanders game in November 2025.

Trump did not attend any Super Bowls in his first term. 

No sitting president had ever in US history went in-person to the NFL championship game until Trump made history by riding the high of his second election victory and going to the game with his daughter Ivanka and a handful of his grandchildren.

Trump told the New York Post the Super Bowl is just too far away for him to go, but his refusal to attend comes on the heels of the NFL choosing two anti-Trump artists to perform the half time and pre-game shows – Bad Bunny (pictured) and Green Day, respectively

Trump also attended the NCAA college football championship game with daughter Ivanka in Miami Gardens, Florida on January 19, 2026

While Super Bowl attendees are usually wealthy and by nature in Trump’s demographic, a source close with the president said that his poll numbers and the game’s venue is Democratic-stronghold of California gave members of his team reason to pause.

‘Best to stay away from this one,’ the source told Zeteo, adding that ‘whatever [the crowd’s makeup] ends up being, it’s not gonna be a TPUSA speech.’

Super Bowl 60 is on Sunday, February 8, 2026 between the Seattle Seahawks and the New England Patriots at Levi’s Stadium in California.

Green Day, a known anti-Trump band, will kick off with a special pre-game performance.

The halftime show is headlined by Bad Bunny, a Puerto Rican artist who is also a very vocal Trump critic.

Turning Point USA, founded by late conservative luminary Charlie Kirk, is holding its own counter-programming to the halftime show headlined by Kid Rock.

In recent weeks Trump has privately complained about this year’s Super Bowl being ‘too woke,’ according to sources familiar with the matter and didn’t like the choice of this year’s music performers.

‘I’m anti-them,’ he told the Post when asked about the upcoming Green Day and Bad Bunny performances. ‘I think it’s a terrible choice. All it does is sow hatred. Terrible.’