Former President Trump was caught up in the excitement of the longstanding University of Alabama and University of Georgia rivalry, participating in a wide-ranging interview on college football and the intersection of politics.
In an exclusive OutKick interview with Clay Travis, Trump highlighted the “energy” from the Alabama vs. Georgia game on Saturday night.
“This is really big time football, and it’s great to see,” Trump said.
The audience inside the stadium cheered as Trump was shown on the jumbo TV screens, on a video board, watching the game with Sens. Katie Britt, Tommy Tuberville and Steve Daines of Montana.
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OutKick founder and Fox News contributor Clay Travis interviews former President Trump during halftime of Saturday’s Georgia-Alabama football game in Tuscaloosa, Ala. (Charles Hunnell / OutKick)
When asked about his appeal with the younger voter demographic, Trump said that his campaign was “way up.”
“We’re way up with young people. It’s an honor. They’re very smart. And she [Kamala Harris] berated them, saying that ‘they aren’t smart’ and, I’ll be honest, they’re a lot smarter than her,” he said.
“There has never been energy like there is now. And I guess it’s me, but it’s also when they look at our country and what has happened. Our country is going bad, and it’s in a very dangerous place right now. But we love our country, and we’re going to make it great again.
Former President Donald Trump looks on during the first quarter of the game between the Alabama Crimson Tide and the Georgia Bulldogs at Bryant-Denny Stadium on September 28, 2024 in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. (Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
The changes to the NFL’s kickoff caught Trump’s attention, with the Republican nominee praising college football with sticking with the previous rules.
“Big time college football is as big as the NFL,” he said. “I don’t know what they’re doing with the kickoff return in the NFL. And I don’t want to get involved in controversy, of course, but it looks so bad.
“And I noticed that they hadn’t’ done that in college, and they shouldn’t do it,” he said. “And I think the NFL should go back. And maybe it is a little bit more dangerous, but I doubt that it’s any more dangerous. It’s football.”
“I think they made a terrible mistake in doing that,” he said.
OutKick founder and Fox News contributor Clay Travis interviews former President Trump during halftime of Saturday’s Georgia-Alabama football game in Tuscaloosa, Ala. (Charles Hunnell / OutKick)
Trump turned his attention to Vice President Kamala Harris’ running mate, Gov. Tim Walz, who attended Saturday’s game between Minnesota and Michigan in Ann Arbor.
“He got booed out of the stadium,” he said. “And you saw the hand that we got – it was a little bit different.”
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“We’ll have to see what happens on November 5. I think it’s the most important day in the history of our country,” Trump said. “That’s going to be the biggest election we’ve ever had because our country is going bad. I used to say that they are destroying, no they have destroyed our country, and we’re going to bring it back.”
OutKick founder and Fox News contributor Clay Travis interviews former President Trump during halftime of Saturday’s Georgia-Alabama football game in Tuscaloosa, Ala. (Charles Hunnell / OutKick)
Trump turned his attention to seven-time NFL Super Bowl champion, Tom Brady, who made his debut in the broadcast booth for FOX Sports.
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“I think he’s done really well. And I think he’ll do really well. He’s a winner, he’s a champion,” Trump said when asked about his performance. “And, there are a lot of people that are jealous of him, so they’re always going to say, no matter how well he does, they’ll stay as negative as they can.”
“I think he’s doing fantastically well,” he said.
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