President Donald Trump praised the Super Bowl champion New England Patriots following their 34-28 overtime win over the Atlanta Falcons in Super Bowl LI on Sunday night in Houston:
Trump held a viewing party for the game at Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida. According to Time's Zeke Miller, the president departed the event at 8:57 p.m. ET after the Falcons opened up a 28-3 lead in the third quarter.
Sports on Earth's Will Leitch wondered if Trump would try to paint a different picture about his apparent loss of faith in New England's chances to win:
Trump wasn't the only notable Patriots fan to make a hasty exit. Videographer Allen Reid shared a video of actor Mark Wahlberg leaving NRG Stadium early in the second half:
New England seemingly had little hope of overcoming Atlanta's 25-point lead after Tevin Coleman caught a six-yard touchdown pass with 8:31 remaining in the third quarter.
The Falcons defense crumbled from that point on, though, allowing four straight scoring drives. James White scored a touchdown with 57 seconds left in regulation, and Tom Brady completed a two-yard pass to Danny Amendola on the two-point conversion to tie the game.
On the first drive of overtime, White found the end zone on a two-yard run to give the Patriots the victory.
New England can now begin planning its victory ceremonies, including the team's trip to the White House to be honored by President Trump.