President Donald Trump received enthusiastic cheers from the Cadets and Midshipmen as he made his entrance onto the field for the 126th Army-Navy football game, held on a somber Saturday in Baltimore.

Assuming the role of Commander In Chief, Trump took part in greeting team captains and performed the coin toss, all while students in the stands expressed their admiration.

His appearance followed a tragic incident where two U.S. soldiers and a civilian interpreter lost their lives, and three more soldiers were injured in an ISIS attack against American troops in Syria.

Earlier in the day, Trump shared his condolences on social media, stating, “We mourn the loss of three Great American Patriots in Syria, two soldiers, and one Civilian Interpreter.”

He continued, “We also pray for the three injured soldiers who, it has just been confirmed, are recovering well. This was an ISIS attack on the U.S. in a highly perilous region of Syria that remains outside full control. The Syrian President, Ahmed al-Sharaa, is deeply outraged by this incident and has promised significant retaliation. Thank you for your attention to this grave matter!”

Security was on high alert at M&T Bank Stadium, where rooftop snipers were seen above the crowds on Saturday. 

Trump walks onto the field for Army-Navy Game between the Black Knights and Midshipmen

President Donald Trump takes part in the ceremonial coin toss before the start of the game

Midshipmen are seen taking photos of President Trump with their cell phones on Saturday 

Trump’s reception in Baltimore wasn’t entirely friendly.

A group called the Protect Democracy Project posted several billboard ads urging a responsible deployment of American troops.

‘Respect the military,’ one add began. ‘Respect the mission. Deploy troops responsibly.’

The ads echo recent controversial statements by several Democratic lawmakers, who encouraged US troops to reject unlawful orders. Trump has faced criticism for a series of military actions in the waters off Venezuela as well as his decision to deploy the National Guard in American cities.

Trump was joined by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, who was joined by her husband Nicholas Riccio. 

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt and her husband Nicholas Riccio take a selfie

President Donald Trump stands on the field after the National Anthem on Saturday 

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth stands on the sidelines before the start of the NCAA college football game between Army and Navy at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore on Saturday 

Cadets packed the M&T Bank Stadium stands on Saturday for the rivalry game with Navy

Donald Trump talks to reporters as he departs from the South Lawn before the game

The Army Corp of Cadets march before the 126th Army-Navy Game between the Navy Midshipmen and the Army West Point Black Knights on Saturday in Baltimore 

Cadets of the Navy Midshipmen march on the field prior to the 126th edition of the rivalry 

An Army Cadet smiles at passing Midshipmen before Saturday’s game in Baltimore 

Saturday marks the sixth time Trump has attended an Army-Navy football game as either Commander in Chief or President-elect.

Although that tradition dates back to Theodore Roosevelt and later Harry S. Truman, Trump has made the 135-year-old rivalry a priority for the White House once again after predecessors Barack Obama and Joe Biden combined to attend just one Army-Navy game between their combined 12 years in office.

Trump was well received at his previous six trips to the rivalry game in Philadelphia, West Point and Landover, Maryland. Not only has he handled pre-game coin toss ceremony honors, but he’s also made attempts to interact with the crowd by pumping his fists and waving at the students.

He was coming off a dramatic electoral victory over Kamala Harris when he attended the 2024 Army-Navy game with then-Vice President-elect JD Vance and Pete Hegseth, the latter of whom was facing a brutal confirmation process to become Secretary of Defense at the time. 

Unlike 2024, POTUS was not joined by donor Elon Musk on Saturday amid the pair’s fallout over electric vehicle tax credits and the Tesla CEO’s attempts to implicate Trump in late pedophile Jeffrey Epstein’s notorious sex crimes. 

Trump joins cadets during the Army-Navy football game at Michie Stadium in 2020

Cadets from the U.S. Military Academy fly a banner depicting President-elect Donald Trump prior to the game between the Navy Midshipmen and the Army Black Nights in 2016

Trump is pictured alongside donor Elon Musk and Vice President-elect at the 2024 game 

As for his own rooting interest, Trump has never revealed any favoritism towards the Black Knights or Midshipmen and has no personal or familial connection to either branch of the military.

Army (6-5) and No. 22 Navy (9-2) entered Saturday’s game in far different places than they did a year ago, when the Black Knights were No. 19 in the country.

Unfortunately for Army and head coach Jeff Monken, their rare status as ‘favorite’ couldn’t prevent a 31-13 Navy win as the Midshipmen came away with another Commander-in-Chief Trophy.

And by beating Air Force, 34-31, earlier this season, Navy was in position to capture an 18th Commander-in-Chief Trophy with a win over Army.