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President Donald Trump said he sees sports as a “microcosm of life” during a visit to the Fox broadcast booth at Sunday’s Washington Commanders game against the Detroit Lions.
Fox announcer Kenny Albert noted that President Trump was the first sitting president to attend a regular-season NFL game since October 1978, when President Jimmy Carter was in the stands. The visit also coincided with the league’s recognition of military veterans ahead of Veterans Day on November 11.
“I know you love sports. You attend baseball games, NASCAR races, what is it about sports that you enjoy the most?” Albert asked.
“I just love it,” the president said. “It’s a microcosm of life, it’s sort of like life. You know, the good, the bad, the ugly.” After a timeout, he added, “You can equate sports with life.”
“You have the triumphs, and you have the problems, and you got to get through the problems to hit the triumphs, and you can never quit, you can never give up,” President Trump added.
President Trump also joined Albert and analyst Jonathan Vilma in calling part of the game. Albert asked if he wanted to call a play.
“Well, I would like to do that if you’d like me to,” the president replied. “I will say that your second string, your backup quarterback, is a good quarterback, and he’s had some very good games for you. And, your first-string quarterback has the potential, I think, to be a great quarterback. He’s got to stop the injuries somehow.”
His appearance came as ESPN reported that Trump wants the Commanders to name their planned $3.7 billion stadium after him. The venue is scheduled to open in 2030.
“That would be a beautiful name, as it was President Trump who made the rebuilding of the new stadium possible,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement.
President Trump has attended several major sporting events during his second term. He was at the Ryder Cup golf event, the Daytona 500 race and visited the U.S. Open tennis tournament, according to the Associated Press.
