Jalen Hurts gives reporter silent treatment over question on meeting Donald Trump during Eagles' White House visit

Jalen Hurts was silent when asked about visiting the White House next week. The Philadelphia Eagles quarterback was approached by a reporter during a Thursday interview with Time. When asked about the upcoming team visit, Hurts didn't comment and politely walked off.

This moment comes just days before the Eagles' scheduled meeting with President Donald Trump on Monday. The team confirmed their acceptance of the invitation last month.

While visiting the White House after a championship season has long been a tradition, this particular visit has drawn attention, given past controversies linked to the Trump administration. For players, attending is more of a personal decision than a routine team event.

Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie addressed this earlier in the month, saying attendance won’t be mandatory.

“Our culture is that these are optional things,” Lurie said. “If you want to enjoy this, come along… if you don’t, it is totally an optional thing.”

Jalen Hurts’ career includes leading Alabama as a freshman and transferring to Oklahoma, where he posted 3,851 passing yards, 32 passing TDs, 1,298 rushing yards and 20 rushing TDs in his final collegiate season.

Jalen Hurts had assumed the Steelers, but the Eagles made the move at 53

Jalen Hurts didn’t expect to join the Philadelphia Eagles during the 2020 NFL draft. On the “New Heights” podcast in November 2022, he said he thought the Pittsburgh Steelers would draft him. They had one of the early picks in the second round, and he assumed a call from a Pennsylvania number meant it was Pittsburgh.

But it was the Eagles general manager Howie Roseman who called they were drafting him at 53rd. Hurts was surprised as he thought the team weren't interested.

“When they called me, I got the ’215′. It was Howard," Hurts said. "I know Pittsburgh had maybe the 48th pick or 40-something, and I thought I was going to Pittsburgh. ... When they said the Philadelphia Eagles, I had no idea they were coming.”

At the time, the Eagles had just signed Carson Wentz to a four-year deal worth $128 million. Many didn’t see them picking another QB so soon. However, the move ultimately reshaped the team's future at quarterback.