Trump cancels plans to attend UGA-Alabama game, citing hurricane
President Donald Trump has scrapped plans to attend Saturday’s Georgia-Alabama football showdown as Hurricane Isaias bears down on the Gulf Coast.
Trump confirmed the cancellation Friday afternoon, ending plans to return to one of college football’s biggest stages just weeks before the midterm elections.
“Based on the fact that a huge Hurricane/Storm is coming, it is important to have our wonderful First Responders, Law Enforcement, and others, focused on that Storm, and in no way be thinking about the safety, or presence, of the President of the United States, ME!” Trump posted on Truth Social, his social media platform.
Trump had announced last week he would attend the game between No. 2 Georgia and No. 6 Alabama, part of a string of appearances in GOP strongholds as he tries to energize his party’s supporters ahead of November.
But the approaching hurricane complicated those plans. Trump wrote that he hopes the game will still be played, promising “I will be visiting both of those Teams at a later date.”
Two years ago, Trump’s visit to the same rivalry game in Tuscaloosa turned one of the biggest Saturdays in college football into an extension of the presidential campaign.
He tossed snacks to clamoring fans and received rapturous applause, along with a smattering of boos, when he was introduced over the loudspeakers.
During the game, he sat in a luxury suite near the 40-yard line alongside musician Kid Rock, former Republican U.S. Senate candidate Herschel Walker and several Alabama politicians.
Trump also attended the 2018 national championship game between the rivals at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, where his visit triggered gridlock and long security lines. He left before halftime, missing Alabama’s dramatic overtime victory.
His planned return Saturday was another example of the growing intersection of politics and college football, which offers candidates a chance to connect with voters who might otherwise tune out campaign events.
The cancellation comes as Hurricane Isaias threatens to bring heavy rain, damaging winds and flooding to parts of Alabama and Georgia. Gov. Brian Kemp issued a state of emergency ahead of the storm.
The game remains scheduled for a 7:30 p.m. kickoff, though officials have overhauled pregame activities and moved ESPN’s College GameDay broadcast indoors.