Eagles Star Falls for Ivanka Trump at White House Ceremony: "Trump's Daughter is Beautiful, I Want to Date Her"

It was supposed to be a solemn celebration of athletic excellence and national pride, a moment where a team that had clawed its way to Super Bowl glory would be honored by the President of the United States on the White House lawn. But for one Philadelphia Eagles player, it turned into something far more personal — and unexpectedly romantic.

As the players lined up in crisp suits, basking in the glow of their hard-earned Super Bowl LIX victory over the Kansas City Chiefs, cornerback Eli Ricks had his attention fixed on something — or rather someone — else. That someone was Ivanka Trump, the president's eldest daughter, whose unexpected appearance during the ceremony sparked a reaction that would set social media on fire and throw Ricks into the center of a viral moment.

President Donald Trump took to the podium that Monday afternoon with the typical bravado expected of him. He congratulated the Eagles, threw jabs at pop superstar Taylor Swift, and took time to commend his hand-picked guests. Meanwhile, Ivanka Trump made a surprise entrance in a pale blue blazer that turned heads across the South Lawn.

But while most attendees politely acknowledged the First Daughter's presence, Eli Ricks went a step — or several — further. After the event, Ricks logged onto social media and fired off a post that would make more headlines than any defensive play he’d made on the field. "Donald Trump daughter is beautiful damn," he tweeted, blunt and unfiltered, drawing thousands of reactions within minutes.

But he didn’t stop there. Moments later, he doubled down, tweeting, "After seeing her in person Ivanka is exactly my type." And then came the photos — reposts of Ivanka smiling with her children in tow, her husband Jared Kushner notably absent. To some, it was a harmless celebrity crush. To others, it was a breach of decorum, a spontaneous, if ill-advised, expression of admiration toward the married daughter of a sitting president.

Ricks’ remarks quickly snowballed into the meme-sphere, with users joking that he might have just gotten himself blacklisted from the White House permanently. "Guess who just got banned from the WH," one user wrote.

Another cracked, "She don’t like bench players… bro find your way into a starting lineup first." The reaction was swift and brutal, but also tinged with the kind of humor that only the internet could generate in moments of such raw honesty.

Ivanka, for her part, seemed oblivious to the commotion. She shared joyful posts from the day, including an Instagram story featuring her son Theo racing NFL star Saquon Barkley through the Rose Garden. “Celebrating with champions at the White House today! Congratulations to the @philadelphiaeagles on an amazing season and Super Bowl win!” she wrote, making no mention of the brewing online storm centered around her appearance.

While Ricks was clearly enchanted by Ivanka's poise and beauty, others pointed out some glaring realities. Ivanka is 42 years old, while Eli Ricks is just 22. She’s also been married to Jared Kushner for over 15 years and has three children. “She married big dawg,” one user noted.

Another added, “She’s 20 years older than you and married chief.” Still, none of that seemed to matter in the moment to Ricks, whose crush was as public as it was unapologetic.

This wasn't the first time an NFL player has found themselves caught up in political or cultural drama during a White House visit. These events, often intended as bipartisan celebrations of athletic achievement, have become increasingly polarizing in recent years.

In fact, several key members of the Eagles, including starting quarterback Jalen Hurts and wide receivers AJ Brown and DeVonta Smith, chose not to attend the ceremony at all. 

Defensive stalwarts like Jalen Carter, Darius Slay, and Brandon Graham were also absent, signaling a quiet protest against the administration's politics or perhaps just a personal decision to skip the pageantry.

Eli Ricks, however, was there — front and center — and apparently mesmerized. It’s a bold move for a player still carving out his place in the league. Ricks, who was picked up by the Eagles as an undrafted free agent in 2023, has shown flashes of talent and potential.

But he’s far from a household name, and many fans online took the opportunity to remind him of that. “You trying to date Ivanka when you haven’t even locked down CB2?” one Eagles fan quipped. Others joked that Jared Kushner, known for his quiet demeanor but powerful presence behind the scenes, wouldn’t take kindly to the public flirting. “Don’t show Jared Kushner this,” one user warned with a screenshot of Ricks’ tweet attached.

Whether Ricks meant his comments seriously or simply got caught up in the moment is unclear. He hasn’t issued any apology or clarification since the posts went viral. Nor has Ivanka or the Trump family publicly responded to the comments. In a time where NFL players’ tweets are scrutinized as closely as their 40-yard dash times, Ricks’ remarks will no doubt be part of his public narrative going forward — for better or worse.

Still, in an offseason where football news is often dry and focused on trades, training, and coaching staff moves, Eli Ricks’ infatuation with Ivanka Trump has added a jolt of unexpected energy. Sports talk shows couldn’t resist the topic either, with commentators from ESPN to Barstool Sports poking fun at the cornerback’s boldness.

“You gotta respect the man’s honesty,” said one analyst. “But maybe pick your moments, bro.”

At the heart of the moment is a curious blend of sports celebrity, political drama, and good old-fashioned human chemistry. It’s not often that Super Bowl celebrations are overshadowed by romance — or the fantasy of it — but in today’s era of social media virality, it takes just one tweet to shift the spotlight. Eli Ricks’ comment might not have won him a date, but it certainly earned him a headline.

As training camp looms and Ricks looks to secure his spot on the Eagles’ active roster, he’ll likely have to work harder than ever — not just to impress his coaches, but to shift the public focus back onto his performance on the field. Still, for a brief moment in the spring of 2025, one NFL player’s heart skipped a beat not for a touchdown, but for the president’s daughter in a blue blazer.

And whether it was foolish, funny, or fearless, it was undeniably unforgettable.