A rare appearance by multiple living U.S. presidents in one place has become an occasional feature of major civic events and state ceremonies in recent years. On July 3, President Donald Trump added to that discussion by suggesting he could invite Barack Obama, Joe Biden and members of the Bush family to the White House to watch a football game.
Trump made the suggestion on a July 3 White House podcast appearance
Trump made the remark during the July 3 episode of “Storytime with the Second Lady,” according to Fox News, while appearing with second lady Usha Vance for a children’s reading segment tied to the White House Historical Association book “Presidents Play!” Fox News reported that Trump was looking at a page about a president hosting a Super Bowl viewing at the White House when he raised the idea of bringing former presidents together.
Fox News quoted Trump as saying, “Maybe I should invite Barack Hussein Obama, Joe Biden, with the Bushes — or Bush. Maybe I should invite some of those people to watch a football game together.” He added that “the press would go wild,” framing the idea as a headline-generating reunion rather than a formal White House event.
The report did not indicate that invitations had been issued or that a date, opponent, league or specific game had been selected. What is confirmed is that the comment was made publicly on July 3 and that it was presented as a possible future gathering at the White House, not an announced event.
Because Trump described the idea as a White House get-together, the direct geographic focus is Washington, D.C. No federal agency or White House office had publicly released a schedule, guest list or operational details tied to such a football gathering as of the initial reports.
That leaves several practical points unresolved. It is not known whether Trump meant a private viewing, a televised game watch party or a broader ceremonial event. It is also not known which former presidents he intended to include by “the Bushes,” though the phrasing appeared to reference George W. Bush or members of the Bush family.
The suggestion landed just weeks after another unusual presidential gathering in a major U.S. city. The Obama Foundation scheduled the Obama Presidential Center’s grand opening for June 18 through June 21, 2026, in Chicago, and Reuters and the Associated Press reported that Barack Obama, Joe Biden, Bill Clinton and George W. Bush were present for the opening events. NBC Chicago separately reported that Trump was not invited to that grand opening, adding context to why his White House reunion comment drew attention.
Trump’s comment stands out because public relations between him and both Obama and Biden have long been marked by open criticism. That history makes even an informal suggestion of a shared White House football outing notable, especially when it involves living former presidents from both parties.
At the same time, the idea fits into a recent pattern in which former presidents have appeared together at major national moments. The Associated Press reported that five living presidents gathered for Jimmy Carter’s state funeral on January 9, 2025, in Washington, and AP also documented the June 18, 2026, Obama Presidential Center dedication in Chicago, where multiple former presidents attended.
For residents following the story from Washington and beyond, the practical takeaway is narrow for now: there is no confirmed reunion on the White House calendar. Unless Trump or the White House issues a formal announcement, the football gathering remains a floated idea from a July 3 podcast appearance, offered against the backdrop of several recent events that brought current and former presidents into the same room.