Source: Politics<\/p>\n
President-elect Donald Trump descended Saturday on Washington\u2019s hometown stadium for the annual Army-Navy football game, bringing with him key allies who have been selected to join his inner circle as he returns to the White House next month.<\/p>\n
Trump was joined in his box seats by Vice President-elect JD Vance, as well as his picks for director of national intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard; secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth; and national security adviser, Mike Waltz. Elon Musk, who Trump has tapped to set up a so-called Department of Government Efficiency alongside Vivek Ramaswamy, also made an appearance.<\/p>\n
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis \u2014 a Trump foe-turned-ally whom Trump reportedly considered as a backup<\/a> for Defense Secretary if Hegseth fails his Senate confirmation \u2014 was also at the game.<\/p>\n So was Daniel Penny, a Marine Corps veteran who was acquitted last week of homicide after fatally choking a subway rider named Jordan Neely. Penny came at Vance\u2019s invitation.<\/p>\n Trump attended the iconic yearly showdown between Westpoint\u2019s Black Knights and Annapolis\u2019 Midshipmen when he was president-elect in 2016 and throughout his first term in the White House.<\/p>\n Although Trump has drawn backlash for a series of controversial comments<\/a> made about service members, veterans and their families, the military has historically leaned more conservative, and veterans backed Trump over Vice President Kamala Harris in 2024 by a wide margin, according to Pew Research<\/a>.<\/p>\n Earlier Saturday, the Federal Aviation Administration banned drones around the stadium after a series of drone sightings across the Northeast prompted unsubstantiated claims<\/a> that the drones were from an \u201cIranian mothership\u201d \u2014 which the Pentagon has denied. On Friday, Trump suggested the drones should be shot down<\/a>.<\/p>\n Giselle Ruhiyyih Ewing contributed to this report.\u00a0<\/p>\n