President Trump on Tuesday called in to “The Pat McAfee Show” on ESPN to mark Veterans Day and discuss various sports topics.
McAfee, a former NFL punter, was hosting his show from Parris Island, S.C., which is home to the Marine Corps Recruit Depot. It marked the first time Trump had called in to the show.
The president spoke about his administration’s efforts to improve the Department of Veterans Affairs and provide resources to those who have served in the military. But most of the questions were focused on sports.
McAfee asked Trump if the U.S. Ryder Cup team would ever win another tournament after losing to the European team earlier this year. Trump noted the European golfers “really sank a lot of putts.”
Asked what NFL coach would make a great president, Trump said he thought “some of these coaches would make great warring generals.”
And McAfee asked Trump about the direction of college athletics, which has undergone rapid changes around name, image and likeness rules that allow athletes to be paid outside of traditional scholarships.
“Along with stopping wars and building in tariffs and $17 trillion, maybe just put that on your desk. Go ahead and figure out the backend of college sports, Mr. President,” McAfee said.
“It is a very serious problem because even football, when they give quarterbacks $12 million, $13 million, $14 million, I read a couple of them, and all of a sudden you’re going to see it’s going to be out of control,” Trump said. “And even rich colleges are going to go bust because you’re not going to be able to do this.”
Trump throughout his second term has embraced connections to sports. He has attended the Super Bowl, the Daytona 500 and multiple Ultimate Fighting Championship events. He attended the Ryder Cup in New Jersey, as well as a New York Yankees game on Sept. 11, and he attended the Washington Commanders game Sunday in Landover, Md.
The president capped the interview on Tuesday by reiterating a long-standing grievance about the NFL’s new kickoff rules, which have changed to balance player safety with efforts to encourage more kick returns.
“The pageantry of the game is so badly hurt,” Trump said.