Travis Kelce nearly committed a presidential faux pas on Monday, had it not been for some timely intervention by quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
The Chiefs tight end — who can be as dangerous in front of a mic as he is catching passes — could be heard saying, "Stay right there though" as he attempted to sneak his way to the White House podium. President Joe Biden was, at the time, placing a customized Kansas City jersey on a nearby table.
Kelce could only say, "So, I've been waiting for this ..." before Mahomes stepped in and pulled him back to join the rest of the team. Everyone treated the situation with humor, including Mahomes, who sheepishly apologized as he and his tight end stepped away from the podium.
Travis Kelce wanted to get on the mic at the White House....
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) June 5, 2023
Patrick Mahomes got him outta there 😂😂pic.twitter.com/gsCi1ygsnd
MORE: Patrick Mahomes stops Travis Kelce's attempt to speak at White House
Kelce was a good sport about it, even after the fact. He also added a little context to the situation on his "New Heights" podcast this week, telling older brother Jason Kelce he had a fairly innocuous message in mind:
"Obviously, the president at the podium, it's iconic, right? It's iconic," Travis Kelce said. "And how he usually addresses the nation: 'To my fellow Americans.' ... That's all I wanted to say, dude."
The Chiefs tight end did express some regret that he didn't immediately launch into his message instead of saying "I've been waiting for this." That said, he did seem thankful that Mahomes stepped in to stop him from "embarrassing myself in front of the world," adding that he was in over his head.
Travis almost pulled off an iconic White House moment 😭 @PupPeroni pic.twitter.com/cNEahcKwxJ
— New Heights (@newheightshow) June 8, 2023
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Jason Kelce, as big brothers are sometimes known to do, merely egged Travis on:
"If you would have started off with 'My fellow Americans,' that would have been such a showstopper," he said. "I don't think they would have kicked you off. If somebody gets up to the podium and says, 'My fellow Americans,' it's like immediate: 'What's this dude about to say?'"
Although Travis Kelce didn't get a chance to speak at the presidential podium, coach Andy Reid did get to step up and make a brief statement to the crowd assembled:
"Nobody believed in us before," Reid said. "I'm sure it's going to be that same way this time, and we come out and prove them wrong."
With that, the Chiefs' first visit to the White House — their planned visit in 2020 was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic — went off without a hitch. If the Chiefs win another Super Bowl with Kelce in tow, however, they may want to make sure there's more security to keep him from the podium.
