It wasn’t the most enthusiastic invite of all time. However, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre says that Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker’s invite to the White House is still open despite the backlash over his defense of the Christian faith at a commencement address last weekend.
The Chiefs are due to visit the White House to celebrate their Super Bowl victory. On Friday, a reporter queried Jean-Pierre on whether Butker was still on the invite list after his commencement speech at Benedictine College, where he blasted President Biden for his pro-abortion stance, championing motherhood, and urging men to embrace masculinity.
WOW: #Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker RIPS President Joe Biden & says he’s delusional.
“He has been so vocal in his support for the murder of innocent babies that I’m sure to many people it appears you can be both Catholic and pro-choice”
(@dannydeurbina)
pic.twitter.com/UK2tcnV3gi— MLFootball (@_MLFootball) May 13, 2024
“What I can say is all of the team, per usual when there is a championship team, gets invited,” Jean-Pierre told a CNN reporter. “I don’t have anything to add on their attendance or how that looks, but the team is always invited. Everyone on the team is invited.”
If Butker were to be disinvited, he would be the first athlete to be selectively disinvited from a White House championship celebration in recent memory.
The Chiefs kicker ignited a firestorm of controversy on the part of those on the left – and even many on the right – primarily for his comment that a woman’s role as a mother is ultimately more meaningful and fulfilling than any career she may have.
“For the ladies present today, congratulations on an amazing achievement. You should be proud of all that you have achieved at this point in your young lives,” Butker said. “I want to speak directly to you briefly because I think it is you, the women, who have had the most diabolical lies told to you.
(YouTube/Benedictine College)
“How many of you are sitting here now, about to cross this stage, and are thinking about all the promotions and titles you are going to get in your career? Some of you may go on to lead successful careers in the world, but I would venture to guess that the majority of you are most excited about your marriage and the children you will bring into this world.
“I can tell you that my beautiful wife Isabelle would be the first to say that her life truly started when she began living her vocation as a wife and a mother. I am on this stage and able to be the man I am because I have a wife who leans into her vocation … It cannot be overstated that all of my success is made possible because of a girl I met in class back in middle school, convert to the faith, become my wife and embrace one of the most-important tiles of all: homemaker.”
Butker took immense criticism for daring to speak Christianity to a Christian audience. Even the NFL distanced itself from Butker’s comments.
“Harrison Butker gave a speech in his personal capacity,” NFL Senior Vice President and Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer Beane Jonathan wrote. “His views are not those of the NFL as an organization. The NFL is steadfast in our commitment to inclusion, which only makes our league stronger.”
Jean-Pierre told CNN, “What I can say is we invite the entire team, and we do that always. I don’t have anything beyond that. … We invite the team. It’s an invitation that goes to the team, and so it’s up to the team who comes and who doesn’t come.”