A Shipyard Announcement With a Football Twist
The main purpose of Tuesday's event was economic. Trump spoke at Tradepoint Atlantic, the industrial site at Sparrows Point, where Anduril Industries plans to build a shipyard. The company, which works in defense technology, is expected to produce components for Virginia-class submarines there, with the project projected to bring in over 3,100 jobs.
The Ravens gave the day a sports angle. Several players attended, though quarterback Lamar Jackson was not among them. Trump congratulated the team on its 3-1 record, and some of the players then joined him in the presidential motorcade.
The Photos That Got People Talking
Afterward, pictures circulated of Trump posing with cornerback Marlon Humphrey, kicker Tyler Loop, long snapper Nick Moore and punter Ryan Eckley. The four players held white campaign-style hats signed by the president.
Online reaction focused less on the hats than on Trump's suit. Users on X joked that it looked strained, and some of the comments went further, poking fun at his physique. One compared his silhouette to a figure drawn with a basic shape tool. Another suggested the suit was working overtime. Others made cracks about his weight and backside, some of them quite blunt.
It's worth keeping in mind that these were jokes from social media users, not a measured critique. Still, they spread quickly, which is typical when a high-profile public figure ends up in a widely shared photo.
What the Players Said
The players were careful about politics. Asked about their views on the administration, they didn't say where they stood. Loop kept it short, saying only that it was cool to meet a president.
Humphrey is the exception on the roster when it comes to speaking openly. He has posted about Trump on X more than 20 times since 2020. In May, he wrote that he found the "fake Trump hate" funny, arguing that most people had voted for the president yet many claimed to dislike him.
Humphrey also shared his own footage from the day, filmed from the seat behind Trump in the motorcade. His caption poked fun at the president's billionaire status.
Fans Bring Up the "Trump Curse"
The meeting also set off some superstition among NFL fans. Because the Ravens have started the season well, some joked online that the visit could now spell trouble for the team, citing the so-called "Trump curse."
One fan wrote that the meeting might be a turning point for Baltimore this season. Another said they had planned to back the Ravens on Sunday until they remembered the curse. It's all tongue-in-cheek, but with football, a good-luck charm or a jinx is rarely taken lightly.
The Bottom Line
The event itself was about jobs and defense manufacturing, with a bit of NFL star power added. Online, though, the conversation went elsewhere, from the suit jokes to the Ravens' sudden "curse" talk. Whether the team's season is affected is something only the next few games will show.
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