Former President Donald Trump received an enthusiastic welcome from the crowd at the college football game between the University of Alabama and the University of Georgia. Video clips shared on X showed Trump waving from a special box at the September 28 game while students in the crowd cheered for him.
In another video, when Trump arrived at Bryant-Denny Stadium at the University of Alabama, fans could be heard chanting, “USA! USA!”
As Trump interacted with the crowd, people also chanted, “Four more years!”
The announcer recognized the former president during the event, to thunderous applause and cheers as he was shown on the jumbotron at Bryant-Denny Stadium at the University of Alabama.
Trump’s guests in the box included Kid Rock, Hank Williams Jr., John Daly, Sen. Katie Britt, Sen. Steve Daines, and Sen. Tommy Tuberville.
Turning the game into a campaign stop, Trump sought to improve his popularity in Alabama, a state that hasn’t voted for a Democratic candidate since 1976. He also wanted to connect with voters in Georgia, where Biden eked out a 2020 victory. At the game, Trump visited a concession stand to hand out hot dogs and snacks to fans before he left for the evening, with Alabama leading comfortably. He left before the Crimson Tide lost their lead late in the second half but rallied to win the game.
Fans at Tuscaloosa National Airport waited nearly three hours to see Trump arrive, excited to watch him step off his Boeing 757. However, “Trump Force One” couldn’t land because Tuscaloosa National didn’t have a long enough runway for the big jet. Instead, Trump stopped in Birmingham to switch to a smaller private plane.
Despite the delay, Trump’s arrival at the University of Alabama sparked chants of “Make America Great Again” and deafening cheers. To the delight of fans, Trump treated them to his now-famous fist pump.
Not to be outdone, VP Kamala Harris hired a plane to fly over Bryant-Denny Stadium on Saturday night, trailing the message “Trump’s Punting on 2nd Debate” while Trump was at the game. However, the plane couldn’t take off because of the bad weather.
Harris had a Plan B in place, forcing football fans to watch an ad during the game ridiculing Trump’s refusal to participate in another unfairly stacked debate.
Trump spokesman Steven Cheung said, “Kamala Harris would never show up to a sporting event like this because she’d get booed out of the stadium and embarrass herself.”
His words, it seems, were prophetic. That same day, Democratic VP nominee Tim Walz, Minnesota governor Tim Walz was greeted with boos while he was outside a college football game between the University of Michigan’s Wolverines and the University of Minnesota’s Golden Gophers. “Get out of here,” yelled one football fan, with another saying, “Get that b**ch out of here.”
The angry fans were forced to wait over thirty minutes in the rain as Walz and his motorcade arrived. The soaked fans at Michigan’s Ann Arbor stadium were heard chanting “Tampon Tim,” making fun of Walz for allowing free tampons in schools, including in boys’ restrooms.
Even more embarrassing for the Minnesota governor, Walz tried to run onto the field to meet with the team’s head coach, Sherrone Moore, but he couldn’t reach him. Instead, he got a pity hug from the Minnesota Golden Gophers mascot.
Video footage shows Walz leaving the game, waving at fans who didn’t even notice him walking past them on his way out of the stadium.
Social media exploded over Walz’s rejection by his state’s football fans and the town of Ann Arbor, a Democratic Michigan stronghold. One post noted, “If they are booing Walz in Ann Arbor, Harris/Walz are cooked.”
In an online post after the game, Walz praised the Michigan Wolverines. The post only fueled discontent among Minnesota football fans, who quickly labeled him disloyal. One fan noted that Walz’s glowing post about Michigan was grounds for disqualification from the race. Many pointed out that if Walz could not stand by his state’s football team, there was no way he would be loyal to the United States if elected.
It seems that even in Minnesota, people don’t go-pher Walz. Bad pun aside, it’s the perfect snapshot of a rivalry that will affect an entire nation in just over six weeks.
