Tom Brady’s relationship with U.S. President Donald Trump has been long and complex. The seven-time Super Bowl champion has been seen as a supporter of the 45th and 47th American Presidents. This endorsement is largely due to an infamous incident in 2015 when a “Make America Great Again” hat—the primary symbol of Trump’s campaigns—was seen in the quarterback’s locker in New England.
However, the truth is a lot more in-depth than what some fans may think. Since Brady publicly endorsed Trump in September of that year, their relationship seems to have cooled somewhat, with Brady shifting his support and even cracking a joke at the President’s expense alongside former President Joe Biden.
Following the ‘MAGA’ cap episode, the ex-New England Patriots star was asked if he had any advice for Trump, who was then on the brink of his first term as President. “No, I just thought it was a nice keepsake. It could be a nice piece of memorabilia that he sent me,” he said at the time.
On 60 Minutes in 2007, Brady declared that he was neither a Republican nor a Democrat, identifying himself as an “independent”. Yet, years later, he expressed hope that Trump would ascend to the Oval Office.
In 2015, Brady said: “That would be great. There’d be a putting green on the White House lawn. I’m sure of that.” This comment alluded to Trump’s fondness for golf, a hobby they both indulged in and enjoyed together in the early 2000s.
Not only did they hit the golf course together, but the ex-quarterback also took on the role of judge at the Miss USA pageant in 2002, an event owned by Trump at the time. Brady, who is usually reserved about political matters, made headlines with his unexpected endorsement of Trump.
However, shortly after Trump’s remarkable win in November 2016, Brady told an interviewer that his then-wife, Gisele Bundchen, had instructed him to steer clear of political discussions. “I think that’s a good decision for our family,” he remarked.
Despite Trump’s claims of having Brady’s backing, their relationship appeared to strain during Trump’s tenure as President. In 2016, Brady firmly stated he was “not talking politics anymore” when questioned about his voting choices and has largely remained silent on the topic since.
In April 2017, when the Patriots were honoured at the White House following their Super Bowl victory, Brady surprised supporters by announcing he couldn’t attend. Notably, Trump didn’t mention Brady during the team’s visit.
Then in July 2021, Brady did make it to the White House after clinching another Super Bowl title with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. With Joe Biden now in office, Brady took the opportunity to playfully poke fun at Trump and his unfounded election fraud claims.
He said: “We found our rhythm, we got on a roll. Not a lot of people, you know, think that we could have won. About 40% of the people still don’t think we won.”
Brady then made another dig at Trump, referring to the ‘Sleepy Joe’ joke that Trump famously directed at Biden. He added: “We had a game in Chicago where I forgot what down it was. I lost track of one down in 21 years of playing. And they started calling me ‘Sleepy Tom.’ Why would they do that to me?”
In an interview with Howard Stern back in April 2020, Brady spoke about his ties with Trump, clarifying that endorsing a political figure differs distinctly from backing a personal acquaintance.
He further distanced himself from political controversy in a July 2022 interview with Variety, expressing frustration over how his friendship with the reality TV magnate-turned-President had been misconstrued. He said: “I haven’t talked to him in a lot of years. I think they just mischaracterized a lot.”
To this day, Brady has avoided public political demonstrations for an extended period and continues to guard his personal beliefs closely.
