WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump mostly stuck to sports and avoided any talk of tariffs as he celebrated the defending Stanley Cup-champion Florida Panthers at the White House on Monday.
The ceremony was delayed nearly an hour because Trump was talking to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau about pausing tariffs on the country, as he did with Mexico.
Trump made repeated references to Panthers owner Vinnie Viola being a friend. Viola was briefly Trump’s nominee to be Secretary of the Army in 2016 before withdrawing from consideration, and the Panthers play in Sunrise, Florida, 48 miles away from one of Trump’s residences in Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida.
In his speech to the club, he mentioned the run to the title, and how he watched “the team get better and better and better,” referring to them as “real champions” for their “tremendous championship.”
The team had a red customized “Trump 45-47” jersey framed for him. He was also presented a “Trump 47” jersey and a gold stick by Viola, Finnish captain Aleksander Barkov and American forward Matthew Tkachuk.
The Panthers — who won the Stanley Cup for the first time in June, outlasting the Edmonton Oilers in seven games, and have been to back-to-back appearances in the finals — made their White House visit before facing the Eastern Conference-leading Washington Capitals on Tuesday night.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.