Trump will join the Army and Navy along with key allies, nominees and Daniel Penny

WASHINGTON (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump will jostle with allies and a Republican cause célèbre on Saturday’s Army-Navy football game, a chance to take on one of the most storied rivalries in college sports while spotlighting his new national security team.

Trump is expected to be joined by the newly elected vice president JD Vance, embattled Pentagon pick Pete Hegsethpotential backup defense option Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and others for the 125th Service Academy Game.

Also planning to attend is Daniel Pennya military veteran who was acquitted of criminally negligent homicide this week in the death of an excited subway rider in New York. Penny was invited by Vance, who accused prosecutors of trying to “ruin” Penny’s life by charging the Marine veteran with the death Jordan Neely in 2023.

Trump, who joined the Army and Navy as president-elect in 2016 and during his first term, has made an increasing number of public appearances ahead of his inauguration on January 20, 2025. He was accompanied by his family and Vance on Thursday as he rang the opening bell for the New York Stock Exchange after being recognized as Time Magazine’s person of the year.

Trump spent the weeks after the Nov. 5 election at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida assembling a team to help lead his next administration. He and his aides have grown bullish about Hegseth’s chances of winning Senate confirmation. The Army combat veteran and former Fox News host’s chances of becoming defense secretary had appeared in danger amid accusations of excessive drinking, sexual assaults and his view of women in combat.

DeSantis, a former Navy attorney who competed against Trump for the Republican presidential nomination, is among them possible replacement candidates Trump has considered whether Hegseth’s bid will stall.

Trump senior adviser Jason Miller said Friday in a Newsmax interview that Hegseth has “made it through the gauntlet.” Miller predicted Hegseth will be confirmed.

“This is someone who has literally been shot on the battlefield,” Miller added. “That’s the type of person that I want to lead the (Department of Defense) because when we make these decisions about whether or not to put American troops in harm’s way, I want someone who knows on a personal level how that is before you go and send a young man or young woman into battle.”

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., is also expected to join the fray, bringing with him a contingent of other GOP lawmakers vying for facetime with the president-elect weeks before Republicans take control of the three branches of the federal government.

Johnson said he intends to discuss with Trump plans for a legislative package that could pass Congress next year with a simple majority in the face of expected Democratic opposition.

Vance said Friday that Penny, a fellow Marine veteran, had accepted his invitation to be in Trump’s suite on the Army side. Penny was acquitted of criminally negligent homicide in Neely’s death after a judge dismissed a more serious manslaughter charge last week because the jury was deadlocked on that count.

The case was a flashpoint in the long-running debates over racial justice, as well as New York City’s failure to deal with homelessness and mental illness, both of which Neely had struggled with.

“Daniel is a good guy and the New York mob district attorney tried to ruin his life for having a backbone,” Vance said in a post on X. “I’m grateful he accepted my invitation and hope he’s in able to have fun and appreciate how much his fellow citizens admire his courage.”

Hegseth planned to be in a suite with some Medal of Honor recipients, according to a person familiar with Hegseth’s schedule.

Trump’s pick for Navy secretary, John Phelan, a businessman who never served in the militaryand for Secretary of the Army, Dan Driscollan Iraq War veteran and former senior adviser to Vance, is also expected to attend, said the person, who was not authorized to publicly discuss those details and spoke on condition of anonymity.

Kickoff is after 15 EST at Northwest Stadium, home of the NFL’s Washington Commanders, in Landover, Maryland.

Army (11-1) is ranked 19th in the The Associated Press Top 25 after beat Tulane on Dec. 6 to win the American Athletic Conference—the first league title of any kind in the team’s 134-year history. Navy (8-3) was ranked earlier this season after starting with six straight wins

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Madhani reported from West Palm Beach, Florida. AP Sports Writer Noah Trister in Baltimore and Associated Press writer Farnoush Amiri contributed to this report.