Alabama football players react to Donald Trump's appearance

Alabama football put on a show for special guest Donald Trump in Saturday’s 41-34 underdog victory at Bryant-Denny Stadium.

When Kalen DeBoer’s Crimson Tide built a 30-7 lead over the Bulldogs at halftime before the former president’s exit, it might seem like Trump was a lucky charm.

Georgia scored 21 unanswered points, making it a ballgame in the fourth quarter, long after Trump’s early exit, which only reinforced that claim.

Alabama fans who remember Trump’s first appearance in Tuscaloosa would, of course, argue otherwise, as the Crimson Tide suffered its only loss of the 2019-20 season to an LSU team en route to the national championship.

But how did Alabama football players and staff feel about the Republican national candidate’s presence at the Georgia game?

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September 28, 2024; Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA; Former President and current Republican presidential candidate Donald J. Trump visits Bryant-Denny Stadium for the Alabama-Georgia football game. Mandatory attribution: Gary Cosby Jr.-Imagn Images

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From the time the university announced his presence to his arrival in the middle of the game, Alabama football players felt the Republican presidential candidate’s appearance was no big deal.

Tight end CJ Dippre said he didn’t think it was a “big distraction.” If anything, he thought it was “kind of great.”

“I don’t care about politics. I’m not voting. I’m not dealing with it just because I don’t think I’m old enough to deal with it now,” Dippre said. “But I thought it was great to have such an icon at the game.”

Others like linebacker Jihaad Campbell saw it as just another game day.

“We didn’t really worry about any external factors,” Campbell said. “We had ‘College GameDay.’ I think the game was on ABC, a lot of things that came to the game and we didn’t let that get into our heads.

Even Alabama’s fight to the end, capped off with an electrifying 75-yard touchdown catch by Ryan Williams, was not due to the Trump effect.

“We just kept our composure and kept fighting,” Campbell said.

Emilee Smarr covers Alabama basketball and Crimson Tide athletics for the Tuscaloosa News. She can be reached by email at [email protected].

Alabama football players react to Donald Trump’s appearance

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