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President Donald Trump arrived at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore on Saturday for the 126th Army-Navy game, hours after officials said two U.S. Army soldiers and an American interpreter were killed in an ambush in Syria.
The president denounced the attack in a Truth Social message shared just an hour before kickoff.
“We mourn the loss of three great American patriots in Syria, two soldiers and a civilian interpreter. Likewise, we pray for the three injured soldiers who, as has just been confirmed, are doing well,” Trump said. “This is an attack by ISIS against the United States and Syria, in a very dangerous part of Syria, which is not fully controlled by them. Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa is extremely angry and disturbed by this attack. There will be very serious retaliation. Thank you for your attention to this matter!”
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Saturday marks Trump’s seventh appearance at the game, participating every year from 2016 to 2020, as well as last year’s affair. The 2016 game was also the last time the game was played in Baltimore, where Army won 21-17 to snap Navy’s 14-game winning streak against the Black Knights.
“I’m getting ready to land at Fort McHenry for my short drive to the Army-Navy game. Everyone asks me who I support, Army or Navy? My answer is, ‘You must be kidding if you think I’m going to give you that answer!'” Trump later posted on Truth Social.
Last year’s game was played in Landover, Maryland at Northwest Stadium, home of the Washington Commanders. Trump attended the game with Vice President JD Vance, House Speaker Mike Johnson, Senate Majority Leader John Thune, Elon Musk, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard and Daniel Penny, who was acquitted of charges related to the death of Jordan Neely.
Last year, Army won the AAC for the first conference title in the program’s storied history. The Black Knights were in the Top 25 before losing 31-13 to Navy. This year is an opportunity for the Army to seek redemption.
This game will determine the winner of the Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy, which will be awarded to the winner of the annual round-robin competition between the Army, Navy and Air Force. Navy won it last year by sweeping the other two academies, marking the first time a team has won the trophy since 2017.
If all three teams play 1-1, the previous year’s winner retains the trophy, but Army and Navy have had close victories over Air Force this season, making this week’s matchup a winner-take-all matchup.
Army hasn’t defeated an AP-ranked Navy team since 1955. The Midshipmen were in the College Football Playoff rankings — but not the AP Top 25 — when they lost to Army in 2016. Navy is currently ranked 22nd in the AP poll but is not ranked by the CFP committee.
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Both teams earned bowl bids – the Black Knights (6-5) to the Fenway Bowl and the 9-2 Midshipmen to the Liberty Bowl.
Navy finished tied for first in the AAC, missing the league title game due to tiebreakers. Tulane won the conference title game and earned a bid to the College Football Playoff.
