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    • Donald Trump hands out hot dogs and mingles with fans during the Alabama-Georgia game
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    Donald Trump hands out hot dogs and mingles with fans during the Alabama-Georgia game

    Vaseline Posted on

    Emilee Smarr
    | Tuscaloosa News

    Donald Trump is no stranger to college football. Based on his record, he might be an Alabama Crimson Tide fan.

    Saturday’s game against Georgia marked the Republican presidential candidate’s third time seeing Alabama football in person and the second time he watched the Crimson Tide beat the Bulldogs. Alabama pulled out a 41-34 victory in a nail-biter.

    However, it was the first time Trump sat in Bryant-Denny Stadium without the title of president.

    Earlier this month, Trump came to the Cy-Hawk series to check out Iowa and Iowa State. Perhaps the Cyclones’ 20-19 thriller inspired him to lock down a suite for what was touted as the game of the year between Alabama and Georgia, two teams ranked in the top five nationally.

    As a campaign stop, Trump seized an opportunity to boost his favor in Alabama, a state that has not voted or featured a Democratic candidate since 1976, as well as the swing state of Georgia, which he lost to President Joe Biden during his 2020 election campaign. re-election as president.

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    A half-time break can be seen as one of football’s deadly sins. It’s definitely a decision that wouldn’t score many points with the sport’s hardcore protectors in Alabama and Georgia. But the early departure didn’t come without reason for the 78-year-old, who decided the show needed to go on for a long time before landing in Tuscaloosa.

    Trump’s appearance between Alabama and Georgia was postponed after the afternoon appearance in Wisconsin

    Trump was only present for about a quarter of the action.

    His stay could have been longer if he had not experienced prolonged delays in his travels after a 2:30 PM battle in Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin. Prior to the assassination attempts on July 13 and September 15, it would have been labeled a ‘gathering’. On Saturday, the event was described as Trump “making comments.”

    Compared to the six college football games he attended during his time in office, Trump’s security presence was at its peak for Alabama-Georgia.

    Fans clung to the gates of Tuscaloosa National Airport for nearly three hours, waiting for his arrival, eager to see if he would step off his signature plane of choice — a Boeing 757 — in his red tie.

    However, “Trump Force One” did not show up because Tuscaloosa National did not have the runway needed for the jumbo jet. That meant Trump had to make a stop in Birmingham to transfer to a smaller private plane escorted by the Secret Service.

    Persistent Trump supporters, however, got their red ties.

    Trump talks to fans at Nick Saban Field at Bryant-Denny Stadium

    Twenty-two motorcycles from Tuscaloosa City Police and Alabama State Troopers led an extended motorcade that led Trump and his staff from the airport to Bryant-Denny.

    The roads were eerily empty for a game day in T-Town. Upon arrival, the silence outside the stadium was deafening.

    Consider it the calm before the storm.

    The smell of booze and nearby popcorn machines filled the air as fans piled on top of each other and let out drunken chants of “Make America great again” to welcome the former president.

    Grinning from ear to ear, he accepted their hospitality and even offered the fist pump seen in the photo captured shortly after an attempt on his life in July.

    Trump visited a concession stand to hand out hot dogs and more game-day food to fans before leaving for the evening with Alabama comfortably leading the way. He left before the Crimson Tide lost its lead late in the second half and rallied to earn the win.

    Stadium erupts into “USA!” chants for Trump

    After talking to fans, Trump headed to his East Skybox Suite, where he walked up to fans and got his first chorus of “USA! USA! USA!” from the stadium.

    Although Trump stole some attention, football continued to take precedence. The parents of Crimson Tide football players seemed unhappy with his performance as it prevented a panoramic view of the game.

    Even with an announcement of his presence over the public address system with 12:40 to go before halftime, it was hard for fans not to notice that underdog Alabama was up 28-0 with Jalen Milroe’s second touchdown of the night.

    For Crimson Tide fans, there seemed to be one mutual consensus at the end of the day if jerseys, pins and the occasional verbal response were any indication.

    It was a collective call not to vote for Trump, but for Alabama’s recently retired legendary head coach.

    “Saban for president.”

    Emilee Smarr covers Alabama basketball and Crimson Tide athletics for the Tuscaloosa News. She can be reached via email at [email protected].

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