Trump Throws Tantrum After Indiana QB Skips White House Visit

The Indiana Hoosiers football team visited the White House on Monday to celebrate the program’s national championship season, but former quarterback Fernando Mendoza was not in attendance.

Mendoza had previously explained that he would miss the event because he was participating in organized team activities with the Las Vegas Raiders after joining the NFL franchise earlier this year.

During remarks at the White House, President Donald Trump addressed Mendoza’s absence and said the quarterback personally contacted him beforehand.

“The reason he’s not here — he was so nice, he called because he has actually . . . he’s a big fan of ours,” Trump said, according to USA Today. “You wouldn’t believe it, because he didn’t show up. I’m not happy, but that’s OK.”

Trump added that Mendoza was attending “spring training” and said he encouraged the quarterback to report to team activities.

“And he’s at spring training, like his first day or something,” Trump said. “I said, ‘You better go there.’”

The president also commented on how he would have handled the situation if Mendoza had skipped the event for political reasons.

“If he was not here for other reasons, like he didn’t like Trump or he didn’t want to come, I wouldn’t have even mentioned him,” Trump said. “I’d go through the whole [speech] — I’d talk about how great [the team was], I wouldn’t even mention the quarterback’s name.”

White House visits for championship teams have long been a tradition across college and professional sports, though attendance can vary because of scheduling conflicts, professional obligations or personal decisions.

Mendoza’s absence came as NFL teams across the league began offseason workouts and organized team activities ahead of the upcoming season.

See social media’s reactions to his remarks below.