Trump booed at Commanders game as Amon-Ra St. Brown breaks out “Trump dance”: what happened, who reacted, and what it means

Nov. 9, 2025 (Landover, Md.) — A sitting U.S. president attended a regular-season NFL game for the first time since 1978, and the crowd let him hear it. During the Lions’ 44–22 win over the Washington Commanders, the stadium sound swung from curiosity to sustained boos when the president appeared on the videoboard before halftime and again during a military enlistment ceremony. There were scattered cheers, but the dominant audio inside the building was unmistakable.

The visit came packaged in spectacle: an Air Force One flyover, a suite packed with political allies, and a brief drop-in to the national TV broadcast booth during the third quarter, where the president riffed on high-school football memories and offered broad comments on the league.

Amon-Ra St. Brown points to the suite—and dances

The game’s most viral sports moment arrived in the first half when Amon-Ra St. Brown caught a short touchdown, pointed toward the presidential suite, and performed the familiar shoulder-shimmy “Trump dance.” Several Lions teammates joined the celebration. After the game, St. Brown said he wanted to acknowledge who was in the building and have fun with the moment; he did not frame it as an endorsement.

The atmosphere turned uglier minutes later. After a Detroit score, Commanders DT Daron Payne punched St. Brown during a dead-ball exchange and was ejected, drawing an unsportsmanlike conduct flag. On Monday, the league issued a one-game suspension without pay. Washington’s frustrations spilled further when another defender drew a separate 15-yarder for making contact with an official.

Was the president booed at the Commanders game?

Yes. Multiple in-stadium moments triggered audible boos:

• Videoboard shot late in the first half.

• Halftime enlistment ceremony, where the president participated from a suite.

• A shorter burst when he returned to the screen during the third quarter.

The reaction fit the local political map—this is a deep-blue market—and echoed prior receptions for presidents at big D.C. sporting events. Still, the setting was unprecedented: nearly five decades have passed since a sitting president dropped in on a regular-season NFL game.

Broadcast notes: booth cameo and sideline optics

The president’s third-quarter booth cameo doubled as soft politics and football nostalgia. The production cut to crowd shots—some waving, many booing—while the booth steered conversation back to the game. On the field, Detroit’s offense kept rolling, and late-game shots showed the presidential suite empty as the motorcade departed before the final whistle.

Play-by-play and color analysts kept the top-line facts tight: historic visit, loud mixed reaction, back to football. (Viewers asking about the specific crew: this game used one of the network’s primary Sunday teams.)

Why his appearance landed in the NFL’s spotlight

• Salute to Service window: The league’s annual military-honor programming can heighten the stakes of any political cameo.

• Stadium politics: The president has publicly mused about naming rights or involvement in the Commanders’ next stadium project, raising local eyebrows.

• NFL history with presidents: From anthem-protest flashpoints to ceremonial first pitches at other venues, presidential sports drop-ins often draw polarized responses. This one was no different.

The football that got overshadowed

• Lions 44, Commanders 22. Detroit stacked early touchdowns, leaned on balance, and never looked threatened.

• Amon-Ra St. Brown: TD reception, high-volume targets, and the celebration everyone’s clipping.

• Discipline breakdown: Washington’s second-quarter sequence—ejection, extra flags, and a short-field conversion—functioned as a momentum crater.

What to watch next

1. Discipline and appeals. Payne’s suspension timeline is set; any appeal would surface quickly given Washington’s overseas Week 11.

2. Team messaging. Expect Detroit to downplay the dance and emphasize execution; Washington will be pressed on composure and late hits.

3. Another stadium news cycle. Any follow-up chatter about the Commanders’ future home will now be filtered through Sunday’s optics.

Quick answers to the searches blowing up your feed

• “Was Trump booed at the Commanders game today?” Yes, loudly, at several points.

• “Amon-Ra St. Brown Trump dance?” He scored, pointed to the presidential suite, and did the dance; clip’s everywhere.

• “Who called the game?” One of the network’s top Sunday crews handled it; the president briefly joined the booth.

• “Commanders game today score?” Lions 44–22.

• “Why was a player ejected?” Daron Payne punched St. Brown during a dead-ball moment; he was ejected and then suspended one game.

A routine Week 10 matchup morphed into a political stage. The boos were real, the dance was deliberate (if tongue-in-cheek), and the Lions left with a comfortable win while Washington absorbed yet another self-inflicted wound.