On Saturday, more than 100,000 fans will cram into Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa to see No. 4 Alabama host No. 1 Georgia.
To the victor will go more than just the spoils, with the winner of the top-five matchup getting an all-important leg up in the race for an SEC championship and seeding in the College Football Playoff.
Among the sea of faces that will be inside the Crimson Tide’s palatial stadium will be a particularly notable one.
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Former president Donald Trump, the Republican nominee attempting to win back the office he held from 2017-21, will be at Alabama’s game against the Bulldogs, with the university confirming last Thursday that it had been “notified” that Trump planned to attend the contest.
“We have been notified that the 45th President of the United States, Donald Trump, plans to attend the Alabama-Georgia football game on Sept. 28 after receiving an invitation from a private citizen,” Alabama said in a statement. “The safety of our campus is and will remain our top priority, and UAPD will work closely with the U.S. Secret Service and other law enforcement partners to coordinate security.
“Like for every UA football game, walk-through metal detectors will be in place and the clear bag policy will be strictly enforced. Additional safety measures will be enacted in collaboration with local and federal agencies, so fans are encouraged to arrive early to expedite the security screening process. The University’s focus will continue to be ensuring a safe and positive gameday experience for the student-athletes, fans of both teams, and all campus visitors.”
With just over five weeks until Election Day, what, exactly, brings Trump to Alabama? Here’s more on the former president’s visit for the Tide’s game against Georgia:
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Why is Donald Trump at the Alabama game?
There’s nothing particularly unusual about a sitting or former president attending a major sporting event. If anything, it’s a fairly common practice.
In that respect, Trump being on hand for Alabama’s game against Georgia is simply one example of dozens, if not hundreds, of other, similar instances.
Still, the visit has raised some questions.
Georgia is one of the most crucial states in a race between Trump and vice president Kamala Harris that’s projected to be one of the tightest in American history. While running for re-election in 2020, Trump lost Georgia to Joe Biden by 11,779 votes, becoming the first Republican to fail to win the state since 1992.
This cycle, Harris and Trump are separated by just 0.6% in the FiveThirtyEight forecast for the state, with the latter leading the former. Of the seven states expected to be the most closely contested in November, Georgia is tied with North Carolina for the second-most electoral votes of the group, with 16.
But while the game involves Georgia’s beloved Bulldogs, Trump will not be setting foot in Georgia for the matchup. Rather, he’ll be in Alabama, a state he won by 25 percentage points in 2020 and 27 percentage points in 2016. In fact, a Republican presidential candidate hasn’t lost Alabama since 1976.
With only 38 days to the election, devoting the time, energy and resources to make a public appearance in a non-swing state is an unconventional strategy.
His popularity in Alabama, where he has twice won with 62% of the state’s votes, offers some indication as to why he might want to be there for the Tide’s game.
Recently, Trump has been spotted at sporting events where he’s likely to receive a warm welcome. He has been a regular at UFC matches (UFC CEO Dana White is a supporter and close friend). In May, he attended the Coca-Cola 600 NASCAR race in Charlotte, North Carolina, the largest city in another swing state, where he received cheers and was serenaded with chants of “USA.
Though the New York City-raised, Penn-educated former president isn’t closely linked with a particular program, Trump has made numerous appearances at college football games since launching his political career nine years ago. He attended the College Football Playoff championship games in 2018 and 2020 and went to numerous Army-Navy games. In the months leading up to the 2024 Iowa Republican presidential caucuses, which he ultimately won by 30 percentage points, he attended the Iowa-Iowa State game, where he received a mixed reaction of boos and cheers.
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Donald Trump Alabama football
Trump’s forays into college football have regularly put him in close contact with the Tide.
He attended the aforementioned national title game at the end of the 2017 season before leaving at halftime, before Tua Tagovailoa and Alabama come back from a 13-point third-quarter deficit to beat Georgia in overtime. In November 2019, he became the first sitting president to attend an Alabama home football game when he made the trip to Tuscaloosa to see the Tide fall to Joe Burrow and eventual national champion LSU 46-41.
Now, he’ll be making it back to see Alabama in person for the first time since Kalen DeBoer took over as coach.
“The people of Alabama have a special relationship with Donald Trump and the Republican Party is always excited to welcome him to our state,” Alabama Republican Party chairman John Wahl said in a statement to The Tuscaloosa News.
This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Why is Donald Trump at the Alabama-Georgia football game?
