Despite being a lifelong New Yorker, it is no secret that President Trump is a big fan of Tom Brady and the New England Patriots. So when questioned about who he’s picking to win Super Bowl LIII on Sunday, it came as no surprise that Trump is choosing the Pats to defeat the Los Angeles Rams in the big game. “They have a very special owner and coach, and certainly they have, I guess, the greatest quarterback of all time," Trump said in an interview with CBS’ "Face the Nation," referring to Patriots owner Robert Kraft, coach Bill Belichick and quarterback Tom Brady, respectively. MAROON 5 FRONTMAN ADAM LEVINE OPENS UP ABOUT DECISION TO PERFORM DURING SUPER BOWL "So I would say they would win," he added. "As the expression goes, who knows. I hope it’s a great game." Trump has been friends with Kraft, Brady and Belichick for years and all three offered praise for then-candidate Trump during the 2016 presidential campaign. The Patriots were also the first professional sports team to visit the White House under the Trump administration following their Super Bowl victory in 2017. Trump disinvited last year’s Super Bowl champs, the Philadelphia Eagles, from White House after numerous players said they would not attend, with some citing the president's comments about the anthem protests. FULL COVERAGE: SUPER BOWL LIII Trump, who on Sunday enjoyed a round of golf with his acting Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney, will watch the Super Bowl at his Mar-a-Lago resort in West Palm Beach, Fla. The game kicks off in Atlanta at 6:30 p.m., with the Patriots favored by 2.5 points. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Nationally there seems to be a lot of apathy toward the Super Bowl, with a CBS News poll finding that 31 percent of those surveyed want the Rams to win, compared to just 19 percent who are rooting for the Patriots. Half of those questioned said the outcome does not matter to them.<doc-sep>As the New England Patriots prepare to take the field for their third consecutive Super Bowl appearance, President Trump is rooting for the 5-time Super Bowl champs led by Tom Brady, who he calls "the greatest quarterback of all time." Mr. Trump is friends with Patriots owner Robert Kraft and coach Bill Belichick, who wrote him an encouraging note before his election victory in 2016. He welcomed the team to the White House to celebrate their victory in Super Bowl LI in 2017. The president sat down with "Face the Nation" moderator Margaret Brennan for a wide-ranging interview at the White House on Friday. In a portion airing Sunday before the Super Bowl, he discussed the matchup and the infamous pass interference no-call during the New Orleans Saints-Los Angeles Rams NFC championship game. Below is a transcript of the portion of the president's conversation airing Sunday afternoon. MARGARET BRENNAN: I'm Margaret Brennan and this is a "Face the Nation" Super Bowl edition: An interview with the president. We sat down with President Trump on Friday at the White House and talked to him about football. MARGARET BRENNAN: You're a Patriots fan. We know that. Do you expect them to win at the Super Bowl this year? PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: Well, they have a very special owner and coach and certainly they have, I guess, the greatest quarterback of all time. So, I would say they would win. As the expression goes, who knows? I hope it's a great game. MARGARET BRENNAN: So you're still betting on Tom Brady to pull this off? PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: Well I am, and I would say that you have the combination of the coach also who's, you know, the best, and the owner. So, it's a great- it's a great chemistry on that team. A team needs chemistry and they certainly have it. So I think they'll do well, but we'll see what happens. MARGARET BRENNAN: You're headed to Mar a Lago? PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: I am. MARGARET BRENNAN: You'll be watching the game there I guess? PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: I will. I will. I look forward to it. MARGARET BRENNAN: What's the tradition like for you? PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: Well I usually have a group of people, and they get bigger and bigger and more and more people wanted to be there. And now I end up with about 700 people for a Super Bowl. And believe it or not, they're a lot of friends. But we have a good time. Often times I leave a little bit early, not all the games are great. But I do tend to leave a little bit early and I think I probably will in this case too, because it's good to get up in the air so we don't affect the flights back to Washington and other places. MARGARET BRENNAN: You said- talking about the game- you said the fact that there was no pass interference call against the Rams was maybe the worst call that you have ever seen. PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: Well it was certainly a bad call. And you know the Saints are a wonderful team with a great quarterback. And it's a shame that we couldn't have seen that game finished out, because that was a beautiful pass. And it was a perfect pass. And he was not just interfered with, he was- he was really hit hard. So it's a shame that that had to happen. Who really knows what would have happened in the end? But certainly they would've been in a very good position to have won that game. But it is what it is. It was a bad call. I don't think anybody denies it was a bad call. Maybe it was a terrible call. MARGARET BRENNAN: I want to ask you about your relationship with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell. Have you put your differences aside? PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: I think so. I mean I- I- was just one that felt very important you can't be kneeling for the national anthem. You have to respect our flag and our country. I want that as president. And I'd want that as a citizen and I have a very good relationship. MARGARET BRENNAN: Talking about the- the kneeling position you've taken and the controversy around it. Do you think that the players who did kneel had a point? Are you sensitive at all to players like Colin Kaepernick, who- who point out that the majority of victims of police violence are black? PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: Well, you know, I'm the one that had passed judicial reform. And if you look at what I did, criminal judicial reform, and what I've done- President Obama tried. They all tried. Everybody wanted to do it. And I got it done and I've been, you know, really- a lot of people in the NFL have been calling and thanking me for it-- MARGARET BRENNAN: Really? PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: They have been calling and thanking, you know, that people have been trying to get that taken care of and it's now signed into law. And affects tremendous numbers of people and very good people. I think that when you want to protest I think that's great. But I don't think you do it at the sake of our flag, at the sake of our national anthem. Absolutely. MARGARET BRENNAN: Are we going to see the Super Bowl winners here at the White House? PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: I think so-- MARGARET BRENNAN: Are you inviting them? PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: Well, I think so. I think that, you know, the Patriots were here last time they won. And we just had Clemson, which was incredible. That was just a few weeks ago that was very recently and- and they had an incredible game. And I don't even know if it was a surprise. They were a fantastic team. So was Alabama. But they were invited and they came and we- we- people love to come. People love to come to the White House. So the Patriots were here two years ago and I'm sure they'll be back.<doc-sep>
President Trump Donald TrumpTrump lashes out after grand jury seated for New York criminal probe Schumer tees up vote on Jan. 6 commission bill Senators struggle to save Jan. 6 commission MORE predicted that the New England Patriots would top the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday in Super Bowl LIII. “They have a very special owner and coach, and certainly they have, I guess, the greatest quarterback of all time," Trump said in an interview with "Face the Nation," referring to Robert Kraft, Bill Belichick and Tom Brady, respectively. "So I would say they would win," he added. "As the expression goes, who knows. I hope it’s a great game." ADVERTISEMENT Trump will view Sunday's game from a watch party at his Mar-a-Lago resort in West Palm Beach, Fla., for the third consecutive year. The game kicks off in Atlanta at 6:30 p.m. The Patriots are favored by 2.5 points. A CBS News poll released Sunday found that 31 percent of those surveyed want the Rams to win the Super Bowl, compared to 19 percent who are rooting for the Patriots. Half of respondents said the outcome does not matter to them. The president has a well-documented soft spot for the Patriots. He has been friends for years with Kraft, Brady and Belichick. Each member of the Patriots’ trio offered praise for Trump during the 2016 campaign. Both Brady and Kraft were critical of the president when he called in 2017 for players who protested during the national anthem to be fired. Brady denounced the comments as “divisive,” while Kraft said he was “disappointed" in the remarks. The Patriots were the first professional sports franchise to visit Trump at the White House after the team won the Super Bowl in 2017. "People love to come to the White House," Trump said in Sunday's interview. "So the Patriots were here two years ago, and I’m sure they’ll be back." The president last year disinvited the Philadelphia Eagles after it became clear many team members would not attend, with some citing the president's comments about the anthem protests.