José Andrés invites Eagles fans in DC to come eat for free

Celebrity chef José Andrés on Tuesday invited Philadelphia Eagles fans to eat for free at one of his Washington-area restaurants after President Trump canceled the Eagles’ White House visit. 

Andrés, a frequent Trump critic, made the announcement after the president participated in a “Celebration of America” event on Tuesday instead of meeting with the Eagles to celebrate their Super Bowl win this year. 

“The way to celebrate America is loving each other. And not creating non existent fights,” Andrés tweeted. “If you came to WH celebration stop at the bar tell the bartender, and food is on me!”

People of Philadelphia! @Eagles if you are in @washingtondc stop by @AmericaEatsTvrn in Georgetown! The way to celebrate America is loving each other. And not creating non existent fights. If you came to WH celebration stop at the bar tell the bartender, and food is on me! #USA https://t.co/spDUdqQHUN

— José Andrés (@chefjoseandres) June 5, 2018

Trump abruptly canceled the Eagles’ White House visit Monday night amid reports that only 10 players planned on attending. The White House later claimed that the Eagles organization “decided to abandon their fans” by only sending a handful of players. 

The decision reignited furor over Trump’s ongoing assault on NFL players who have kneeled for the national anthem. Many noted on Tuesday that no Eagles player kneeled for the anthem during any of the team’s games last year. NBA stars LeBron James and Stephen Curry responded later Tuesday by saying the winner of the NBA Finals would not visit the White House. 

Andrés, a Spanish immigrant who became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 2013, has frequently criticized Trump throughout his presidency, and last month said he confronted him about his comments on immigrants during the 2016 presidential election.

In November, he said he made the right decision by pulling one of his restaurants out of Trump’s D.C. hotel, a move that led to Trump suing Andrés in 2015. In April 2017, the Trump Organization announced that it had settled the lawsuit. 

Andrés was particularly critical of the Trump administration’s response to Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico, and he personally led his own relief effort on the island.