Travis Kelce meant what he said about potentially getting tasered at the presidential podium.
The 34-year-old Kansas City Chiefs tight end addressed the nation when he visited the White House on Friday, appearing alongside President Joe Biden and his Super Bowl LVIII-winning teammates. After he was invited to speak into the microphone, Travis made his remarks brief.
“My fellow Americans,” he began. “It’s nice to see you all yet again. I’m not gonna lie, President Biden, they told me if I came up here I’d get tased. So, I’m gonna go back to my spot.”
On Wednesday’s episode of his New Heights podcast, presented by Wave Sports + Entertainment, Travis said he received a not-so-subtle warning from members of the secret service earlier that day.
“That’s real,” he told brother Jason Kelce of his remarks. “The secret service that’s all over the White House, they weren’t too happy with me. They weren’t too happy with me on my second time visiting.”
President Joe Biden and Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce during the Kansas City Chiefs celebration White House visit on May 31, 2024. – Getty
Just last year, Travis spontaneously took the podium for a brief second, after he and Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes delivered Biden a custom No. 46 jersey following their Super Bowl LVII win. Just then, Kelce sneakily sauntered over to the podium and said, “So, I’ve been waiting for this …” before Mahomes intercepted his teammate and apologized for the stunt before guiding him back towards the rest of the group.
Beyond going rogue, Travis admitted that he had also arrived without proper identification that year.
“Last time, I was talking about how I had an expired ID,” he said on Wednesday, referring to his 2023 visit. “I caught s**t for that.”
President Joe Biden is presented a jersey from Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce as he welcomes the Kansas City Chiefs to celebrate their win of the Super Bowl LVII at the White House on June 5, 2023, in Washington, DC. – Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post via Getty Images
This time, Travis said, he took extra precautions to keep things on the up and up.
“I made sure, because of what happened last time and how embarrassed I was for going to the White House with an expired ID, I made sure that I brought my passport with me this time,” he said. “I was doing things the right way because everyone has to do that at the White House.”
Still, officials kept a close watch on the athlete.
“When I walked in, we had about four or five secret service members come up to me and go, ‘You know that if you go up to that podium we are authorized to tase you,'” Travis recalled, adding, “‘It is actually ordered for us to tase you.'”
Travis noted that he had “no idea” President Biden would invite him to speak.
“He walked right up and the first thing he said was [to] give me the floor,” Travis said. “I felt taser aimed at me when I was up there the whole time.”
In the end, Travis recalled being gifted a special pin and challenge coin from the secret service while brother Jason noted that he was “so jealous” of the “unreal” experience.
“It’s always an honor to go to the White House, man,” Travis marveled.
“Any time that I get a chance to get recognized by the President of the United States and get to go with my teammates, and a group of men and women that I had success with to the point where we get to get acknowledged, man, I’m doing it every single time,” he added. “No matter who’s up there at the helm, no matter what’s going on in this world, I think it’s just such a cool opportunity.”
President Joe Biden speaks as Kansas City Chiefs’ Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce look on during an event to celebrate the Chiefs’ Super Bowl LVIII championship at the White House on May 31, 2024. – Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images
Biden was also presented with a Chiefs helmet at Friday’s White House reception, where he was cheered on to wear it. POTUS obliged, as he unbuckled the chinstrap before sliding the helmet on his head. It prompted cheers from the Chiefs, some of whom could be heard yelling, “Do it! Do it!”
It’s worth noting that Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker — who chuckled with the rest of his teammates after Biden threw on the helmet — attended the festivities. His presence came just weeks after his controversial commencement speech at Benedictine College, where he railed against Pride month, working women and Biden’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, which drew widespread condemnation from the sisters of Mount St. Scholastica, the faith-based magazine U.S. Catholic and the NFL.
Mahomes distanced himself from Butker’s comments, and Kelce shared he doesn’t agree with the majority of the views his teammate expressed, though both Mahomes and Kelce also expressed Butker is a good teammate.
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