Trump to Attend Army-Navy Football Game for the Third Time, White House Says

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President Donald Trump attends the 119th annual Army-Navy football game, December 8, 2018. (U.S. Navy photo/Zachary S. Eshleman)
President Donald Trump attends the 119th annual Army-Navy football game, December 8, 2018. (U.S. Navy photo/Zachary S. Eshleman)

President Trump will attend Saturday's 120th Army-Navy football game in Philadelphia, his third time at the annual event, White House spokesman Judd Deere confirmed Monday on Twitter.

Trump attended the 119th game between the rivals last year, and flipped the coin before spending a half on each side in a show of impartiality.

He also watched one of the biggest American college football rivalries as president-elect back in 2016, in Baltimore.

Earlier this season, Trump attended a pivotal college football matchup between the Tigers of Louisiana State University and the Crimson Tide of the University of Alabama, at the time a pair of undefeated teams ranked No. 2 and 3 respectively in the College Football Playoff Rankings.

Trump and first lady Melania Trump, sitting in a box one tier above the field, were introduced to the capacity crowd at Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Ala., just before the game began. The couple received sizable cheers, with a few boos mixed in. The crowd started chanting "USA, USA" shortly after they were introduced.

The Navy Midshipmen (9-2) are looking to break the three-year winning streak of the Army Black Knights (5-7).

Navy leads the legendary rivalry 60-52-7.

The branches are to meet on Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia on Dec. 14. The game is set to kick off at 3 p.m. ET.

The expected crowd of over 70,000 fans should anticipate heightened security when entering the stadium and tailgating in the parking lots around South Philadelphia, Military Times reported.

The Midshipmen and Black Knights first met on the football field in West Point, N.Y., in 1890.

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