One of my biggest pet peeves is when people politicize sports, particularly the sports I like to watch.
I do not, however, consider the president of the United States attending a football game or even appearing on a show to be politicizing. The Bidens were Eagles fans. Barack Obama did his March Madness brackets. Donald Trump, yesterday, called in to Pat McAfee's show on ESPN and talked with the guys for about 20 minutes. (Not that I got to watch it. Looking at you, YouTube TV.)
Like it or not, he's the president of the entire country. And it was Veterans Day. He's the commander-in-chief of the military.
But even so, McAfee had to explain to his listeners why he had the president on his show on Tuesday. I'm not sure if people complained or if ESPN, being ESPN, told him to offer up the explanation, but either way, it was silly.
"I would like to say, though, for the immediate people that are going to be mad about that happening — it's the president of the United States. It's Veterans Day. He's the commander-in-chief. Obviously, if we have the opportunity to talk to him, we're going to," McAfee said live on his show. He added, "And he is hilarious."
.@PatMcAfeeShow has to explain to his lib listeners WHY he’s interviewing @POTUS:
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) November 11, 2025
"It's Veterans Day.
He's the Commander-in-Chief.
Obviously, if we have the opportunity to talk to him, we're going to.
And he is HILARIOUS.”
AMEN! 👏
pic.twitter.com/N2tkD8c11V
And it was a great interview. (I finally saw it on X on Tuesday night, no thanks to YouTube TV.) McAfee and his boys and the U.S. Marines in their audience seemed thrilled to have him on, and it was fun.
They honored veterans. McAfee asked Trump what Veterans Day meant to him as president, and he replied, "Well, to me, it means taking care of the veterans because they've taken care of us." That set the tone for the rest of the interview.
They talked about what Secretary Doug Collins is doing for Veterans Affairs and some of the issues veterans have faced before pivoting into sports talk. Trump is a golf guy, so he had a lot to say about that. They also talked about football and arrived at the question of, if Trump could choose one NFL coach to be president, who would it be? The president's response was Philadelphia Eagles coach Nick Sirianni. Not a bad choice. He also said he thought "some of these coaches would make great warring generals" and explained that some of the strategy they use on the football field seems similar to what the military uses.
Trump also reiterated something he had said a couple of nights previously, that sports are a microcosm of life. "You see the winning and the losing and the comebacks and the routs," he said. "You see everything, and you see it, uh, quickly. You don't see it over a lifetime; you see it over two hours. You watch football, you watch games that are won, and all of a sudden they're fighting for survival, and they lose the game or they barely win the game. It's just, that's what it is. And, you know, life is very much like that. You have to fight, and you have to just keep fighting, no matter what, no matter what the circumstance. And you got to win."
Recommended: Trump’s Memphis Safe Task Force’s Biggest Victory? The Kids.
The president did dive into politics a little bit, dunking on Joe Biden and blaming Democrats for the government shutdown, but the most controversial moment of the interview was when he admitted this: "I love sports. But I do have to say, and I'll probably get myself in a little trouble with this, I hate the kickoff in football."
I think it's so terrible. I think it's so demeaning. And I think it hurts the game. It hurts the pageantry. I've told that to [NFL commissioner] Roger Goodell, and I don’t think it’s any safer. I mean, you still have guys crashing into each other, and… it’s the opposite of what the game (is supposed to be). The ball is in the air, and nobody’s moving. It’s supposed to be when the ball is in the air, when the ball is played, you’re supposed to move. You walk in, and the pageantry of the game is so badly hurt. And I don’t think NFL, you know, they don’t — they do what they want to do, but I don’t think they’ll change.
For those who don't follow, the NFL changed the kickoff rules last year, preventing players from moving until the ball is caught or hits the ground instead of taking off at the time of the kick, among other things. The new rules supposedly prevent players from colliding after running at top speed and suffering injuries, encouraging returns instead.
They also talked about their concerns with college football and agreed that a decade from now, many of these colleges and universities could go bankrupt. Trump called on former Alabama head coach Nick Saban, saying he could be the man to straighten it out.
Here's the entire interview if you want to check it out.
WATCH IN FULL: President Donald J. Trump joins the @PatMcAfeeShow on Veterans Day pic.twitter.com/5bnRo1qrd4
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) November 11, 2025
The interview came just two days after Trump became the first sitting president to attend a regular-season NFL game since 1978. On Sunday, he attended the matchup between the Detroit Lions and Washington Commanders at Northwest Stadium and even joined the broadcasters' booth for a while, where we learned that Trump himself once played tight end for the New York Military Academy. During halftime, the president, who was joined by Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, swore in some new military enlistees. I noticed some MSM outlets that reported that he was at the game didn't exactly mention that part.
"What is it about sports that you enjoy the most?"@POTUS: "I just love it. It's a microcosm of life... you got to get through the problems to hit the triumphs, and you can never quit — you can NEVER give up." pic.twitter.com/8xT7d4iB7e
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) November 9, 2025
.@POTUS wraps up his stint doing play-by-play on @NFLonFOX: "I'd love to have your job some day." 🤣 pic.twitter.com/WVEPPSRe4b
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) November 9, 2025
.@POTUS on his football days at New York Military Academy: "I played tight end, but I mean it was not quite football like this... we had a quarterback who didn't have a very strong arm. I would say 10 yards was a long pass." 🤣 pic.twitter.com/hryIVhE6kF
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) November 9, 2025
Despite some boos from the crowd, the excitement in the atmosphere was palpable, as it should be. It was a patriotic moment, not a political one
It was definitely a moment this kid will never forget.
MUST WATCH!
— Margo Martin (@MargoMartin47) November 9, 2025
President @realDonaldTrump hands a young boy his presidential challenge coin as he’s leaving the Washington Commanders game ❤️ pic.twitter.com/qmv6e0AVRZ
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