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The Tuscaloosa News
What is Alabama football's record with Donald Trump in attendance?
- Story byThe Tuscaloosa News
- What is Alabama football's record with Donald Trump in attendance?
By now, it's well-documented that No. 4 Alabama's SEC opener vs. No. 1 Georgia on Saturday is not only one of the hottest tickets in college football for Week 5, but is what some are calling the game of the year.
It has not only been selected as ESPN's "College GameDay" Week 5 location and ESPN's Game of the Week, but also has drawn a visit from former President and Republican Presidential nominee Donald J. Trump.
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This will be the former President's second trip to Tuscaloosa and the newly named Saban Field at Bryant-Denny Stadium.
REQUIRED: How Alabama football players view Georgia, first SEC game: 'You can't make many mistakes'
Saturday's game is the second time that Trump will attend a college football game during his 2024 Election Campaign, as he attended the Cy-Hawk series earlier in the month between Iowa and Iowa State.
Here's Alabama 's record with Trump in attendance ahead of Saturday's game vs. Georgia:
Has Donald Trump attended an Alabama game before?
Yes. Saturday's game vs. Georgia game will be the third Alabama game that the former President will attend, and the first when not in office.
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History of Donald Trump at Alabama football games
Both of the Crimson Tide games that Trump has attended came when he was in office.
The first game was the 2018 College Football Playoff national championship game vs. Georgia at Mercedes Benz Stadium in Atlanta, i.e. famously known as the second-and-26 game to Alabama fans. The Crimson Tide would claim their then-fifth national title under Nick Saban that night, as Tua Tagovailoa connected with DeVonta Smith for a 41-yard touchdown.
REQUIRED READING: My open letter to Kalen DeBoer before Alabama vs. Georgia: Your life is about to change
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Trump, however, did not see the walk-off touchdown as he left the game at halftime. Both the Crimson Tide and Bulldogs remained in the locker room for the national anthem, which Trump stood on the field for.
"I have great respect for the office of the President of the United States and it be an honor, whoever was in that position, if they chose to come see the college football national championship game, " said Saban prior to the national championship game vs. Georgia on Trump's attendance. "
Saban and Alabama would accept Trump's invitation to the White House following the Tide's win over Georgia.
Trump's second showing at an Alabama home game came in 2019 when he traveled to Tuscaloosa for the Tide's game vs. No. 2 LSU . Alabama, who was ranked No. 3, would sustain its lone loss of that season that night as it fell to Joe Burrow and the Tigers 46-41.
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Saban offered similar remarks to his from 2018 when asked about Trump's attendance leading up to Alabama's 2019 game vs. LSU.
"Well, it's an honor, I think, that the president of the United States would be interested enough to come to the game," Saban said in 2019. "I'm sure we'll do everything we can to welcome him."
Trump appeared on the jumbotron alongside First Lady Melania Trump during an Alabama timeout in the first quarter that day. Alabama would fumble in the red zone on the next play, which was one of two turnovers that night for the Tide.
What is Alabama football's record with Donald Trump in attendance?
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Record:1-1
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As alluded to above, Alabama is 1-1 with Trump in attendance.
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Has any other president's attended Alabama football games other than Donald Trump?
Yes. As already noted by The Tuscaloosa News, John F. Kennedy is the only other president to have attended an Alabama football game. JFK attended the 1963 Orange Bowl against Oklahoma .
This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: How has Alabama football done with Donald Trump at the game?
