Nicolai Haugsted
Trump refuses to let the approaching midterm elections interfere with his plans to attend another major football game – but something else might.
President Donald Trump has packed his schedule with campaign appearances ahead of November’s midterm elections, hoping to rally Republican voters as his party fights to maintain control of Congress.
But the president’s campaign calendar includes something rather unusual for the final stretch before a major election: another college football game.
Trump is planning to attend Saturday night’s highly anticipated matchup between Alabama and Georgia in Tuscaloosa, following a political rally in Tennessee earlier that day.
Unfortunately for the football-loving president, the weather may have other plans.
Hurricane Isaias is threatening parts of the Gulf Coast, leaving Trump facing a choice between attending one of college football’s biggest games and avoiding potential disruption to emergency preparations.
And judging by his comments, missing the game would be a considerable disappointment.
Trump reluctant to abandon football plans
Speaking to reporters Wednesday, Trump acknowledged that the approaching hurricane could interfere with his visit to Bryant-Denny Stadium.
But he made little effort to conceal his enthusiasm for the game.
“Well, hurricane and football? I love Alabama. I gotta go to the game. It’d be awfully hard,” Trump said according to The Independent.
The storm’s projected path has prompted preparations across Alabama, Mississippi and Florida, with authorities monitoring the possibility of significant impacts.
Officials are also discussing whether the weather could affect Saturday’s game itself.
Trump insisted that he did not want his presence to interfere with emergency operations if the hurricane threatens local communities.
“If there’s a hurricane, I don’t want to do anything,” he told reporters, referring to the possibility of diverting first responders and law enforcement from storm-related duties.
“We’ll have to see,” he added.
For now, the president’s attendance remains uncertain.
Football takes an unusual place in election strategy
Presidents typically spend the final weeks before midterm elections visiting competitive states, campaigning for vulnerable candidates and trying to energize their party’s supporters.
Trump has taken a somewhat different approach.
His enthusiasm for major sporting events has become a recurring feature of his second presidency, with college football occupying a particularly prominent place on his schedule.
If he attends Saturday’s Alabama-Georgia matchup, it would mark his tenth college football game as president since 2017.
His most recent appearance came in Knoxville in late September, when Texas defeated Tennessee 20-17.
The decision to spend valuable campaign time attending football games has raised questions about the political calculation behind the visits.
University of Richmond political scientist Dan Palazzolo believes the strategy is partly about reaching a particular demographic.
“I think what they’re trying to do is get this broad cast: trying to raise enthusiasm, particularly among young men,” he said.
Palazzolo described Tennessee and Alabama as “safe turf” for Trump, adding that the president “clearly sees sports as a kind of way to connect with a certain part of the base.”
Trump gets cheers and boos
College football offers something increasingly valuable to politicians: enormous audiences watching the same event at the same time.
Major games attract millions of viewers, including people who might otherwise avoid political speeches or campaign coverage.
But the strategy carries risks.
During Trump’s recent appearance at the Tennessee game, his image on the stadium’s giant screen drew both cheers and boos.
The mixed reaction came despite Tennessee’s strong Republican leanings.
Political consultant Dave Mowery, who has worked for candidates from both major parties, believes Trump’s sporting appearances are primarily about strengthening his public image.
“I think it helps the brand more than anything else. Because, I think his brand is ‘Sports Guy,’” Mowery said.
“I know everything is political,” he continued. “But it almost puts him above politics and into that type of guy that is seen in the box with the people.”
The president’s sporting appearances may therefore serve a different purpose from conventional campaign rallies.
Rather than persuading undecided voters directly, they reinforce an image that Trump has cultivated for decades.
A president who rarely misses a major sporting event
Trump’s relationship with professional sports predates his political career.
He previously owned the New Jersey Generals in the United States Football League and has long maintained close ties to the sporting world.
His second presidency has featured appearances at some of the biggest events on the American sports calendar.
During 2025, Trump attended the Super Bowl, Daytona 500, Ryder Cup, a New York Yankees game and the US Open men’s tennis final.
He also appeared at UFC events and the NCAA wrestling championships.
More recently, his schedule has included the World Cup final, NBA Finals, NCAA football championship game and Presidents Cup.
His 80th birthday was even marked with a UFC event on the White House lawn.
The White House has enthusiastically defended the president’s involvement in college athletics.
Spokesperson Taylor Rogers described Trump as “the greatest champion of college sports in American history,” pointing to his efforts to reshape how the sport is governed.
Critics question whether the strategy is worth it
Not everyone believes the president’s appearances at major sporting events provide meaningful political benefits.
Palazzolo suggested that attending football games can be a “time-drain” during an election campaign, particularly when there is little evidence that such visits change voting behavior.
Sporting events also attract people from across the political spectrum, meaning the audience is not necessarily as politically friendly as the surrounding state might suggest.
Mowery, who plans to attend Saturday’s Alabama-Georgia game, noted that presidential visits can create additional inconvenience for ordinary spectators.
Heightened security means fans may have to arrive considerably earlier than usual and spend longer waiting inside the stadium.
He doubts, however, that such frustrations would be enough to change many voters’ political preferences.
The same applies to the president’s appearance on the stadium scoreboard, which may generate attention without necessarily winning additional votes.
Hurricane could make the decision for Trump
Trump is currently embarking on an ambitious campaign travel schedule ahead of the November 3 elections.
The president has described plans for 32 days of travel, including appearances in Texas, Oklahoma, Ohio, Nebraska and several other states.
Upcoming stops are also expected in Georgia, North Carolina, Michigan, Kansas and Alaska.
But Saturday’s Alabama visit has become particularly complicated because of the approaching storm.
The president has made clear that he wants to attend the game, while also acknowledging that public safety must take priority.
For political consultant Mowery, the attraction of the Alabama-Georgia matchup is hardly surprising.
“If ‘Sports Guy’ helps drive the brand, then you want to be at the top of that food chain,” he explained.
“He wants to go to the best game on the board. He wants to go to the top of the pops.”
Whether Trump gets his wish will depend less on political strategy than on the weather forecast.
And unlike the election campaign, the approaching hurricane is not something the president can schedule around quite so easily.
