Donald Trump won’t be at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California, when the Seattle Seahawks face the New England Patriots in the Super Bowl on February 8. Still, with the big night just less than a couple of weeks away, the President has already made his preference clear. Trump is backing Robert Kraft’s Patriots to lift their seventh Lombardi Trophy.

“Bob Kraft is a friend of mine, and I’ve watched that team, and you’ve got to hand it to him,” Trump said. “He had the great team. Now he’s got the great team again. They made a fantastic draft, picked the quarterback, it’s great. But it’s going to be a tremendous game. I hope it’s going to be a tremendous game.”

New England punched its ticket to the Super Bowl under first-year head coach Mike Vrabel and second-year quarterback Drake Maye, edging the Denver Broncos 10–7 in the AFC Championship Game on Sunday. On the NFC side, the Seahawks booked their trip to Santa Clara after knocking off division rival Los Angeles Rams in the conference title game.

The matchup also serves as a rematch of the 2014 season Super Bowl. While many would like to see Sam Darnold flip the script this time in Seattle’s favor, Trump is rooting for history to repeat itself, with the Patriots coming out on top once again. Even so, despite regularly attending high-profile sporting events from UFC matches to the US Open, Trump won’t be in attendance for Super Bowl 60.

Speaking with the New York Post, Trump explained that distance played a major role in his decision. “It’s just too far away. I would. I’ve gotten great hands for the Super Bowl, they like me,” the President said in an interview with the New York Post last week. “I would go if, you know, it was a little bit shorter.”

Trump did attend last year’s Super Bowl between the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles. The President traveled from Palm Beach to New Orleans for the game at Caesars Superdome. This time, though, the logistics appear less appealing. A direct flight from Washington, D.C., to San Jose runs more than six hours, not including additional travel time.

And that, more than anything, explains why, even while openly rooting for Robert Kraft’s Patriots, Trump will be watching Super Bowl 60 from afar rather than from a box seat at Levi’s Stadium. Meanwhile, Robert Kraft’s name is under the spotlight once again. And not just because New England is in the Super Bowl.

Robert Kraft can make history before Bill Belichick and Tom Brady

Robert Kraft could carve his name into NFL history even before two of the most iconic figures of the Patriots dynasty: Bill Belichick and Tom Brady. Belichick, now serving as head coach at North Carolina, was overlooked Tuesday as a first-ballot candidate for the Pro Football Hall of Fame. As a result, the former Patriots head coach will have to wait at least one more year before earning a spot in Canton.

Brady, meanwhile, isn’t eligible just yet. The seven-time Super Bowl champion won’t be up for Hall of Fame consideration until 2028 and is likely to be inducted during his first year of eligibility. Until then, he remains on the outside looking in. That delay, though, opens the door for Kraft. According to reports, the 84-year-old Patriots owner is a finalist for the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2026.

Not only that, he currently stands as the lone finalist in the contributor category. He is fully eligible and under active consideration, putting him in a position to enter Canton ahead of both Belichick and Brady. If Kraft is inducted, he would join an exclusive group of living owners already enshrined in the Hall of Fame. We’re talking about Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones and Edward DeBartolo Jr., former 49ers owner. For now, Kraft still awaits a decision that will determine his place in history