Ravens coach John Harbaugh called out a reporter for how they framed a question about his recent visit to the White House with President Donald Trump.
During his media availability at Ravens training camp on Wednesday, Harbaugh defended his visit to the White House, which took place earlier this month and included his family, after the reporter brought up Trump’s “denigrating” comments in 2019 about the city of Baltimore.
“Why would you frame the question — I would’ve framed that question like, ‘You got a chance to go visit with the president, man. What was that experience like?’” Harbaugh said, with a slight chuckle afterward.
“It was amazing. It was awesome. And I promise you, I root for our president. I want our president to be successful just like I want my quarterback to be successful, and I want my team to be successful.”
In 2019, Trump bashed the city of Baltimore — calling it a “corrupt, rodent-infested mess,” where residents are “living in hell” — amid a series of verbal attacks against Baltimore Representative Elijah Cummings, a Democratic critic of his administration.
Harbaugh went on to explain how he, along with his brother, Los Angeles Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh, and their families, were honored to receive an invitation to visit the White House.
“It was an amazing experience. It’s not often you get invited and get a chance to do something like that as a family,” Harbaugh said. “We were there, my daughter was there, Jim’s daughters were there. My mom and dad were there. My mom and President Trump — just seeing how he treated her was really meaningful. That’s the fourth president [I’ve met].
“Jim has met seven presidents, so he’s got the lead on me… I had the chance to meet President Obama twice. Incredible experience. Had a chance to meet President Biden, when he was vice president, in Iraq. I spent a lot of time with him in Iraq, which was amazing… So those are moments that I definitely cherish and it means a lot.”