Donald Trump has shown himself to be a major college football fan for much of his presidency.
The 45th and 47th U.S. President has attended eight college football games during his two stints, including the 2026 national championship game between Indiana and Miami in January.
His latest appearance in the college football world came on Josh Pate’s College Football Show on Thursday, Feb. 19, with the show being released on Sunday, Feb. 22. The 10-minute interview featured Pate asking Trump questions about the state of college football.
Keeping with college football, Pate avoided political questions, peppering Trump with questions about different aspects of the state of the sport.
Here’s a look at the highlights of Pate’s interview with Trump:
Takeaways from Josh Pate sit down interview with President Donald Trump
Trump dislikes NFL kickoff rules
The first question to President Trump was about college football’s structure and enforceable rules, when it comes to the transfer portal and NIL.
Right away, Trump said, “It’s too bad. I hate to see it,’ regarding the lack of control currently in college football. But the president pivoted on NFL kickoff rule changes, saying, ‘I think it’s very bad for the NFL and I hope college football doesn’t do that.’
Trump ultimately did not answer the question about how the governance of college football, and what changes he thinks need to be made.
How Trump picks college football games to attend
Pate then asked President Trump his process of how he picks and chooses the games he attends
Picking the best games involves picking the best teams, according to Trump. The 4-8 South Carolina Gamecocks were the first team to receive a shoutout, as well as Georgia quarterback Gunner Stockton, who was in the crowd.
‘I look around and say, South Carolina is good. Georgia is good,’ Trump said. ‘I like this Georgia team. I like the Georgia quarterback, by the way.’
He also added he liked watching Nick Saban and Urban Meyer coach, though both have retired (Meyer in 2019 and Saban in 2024). Pate then proceeded to ask Trump about a recent golfing outing with Saban and Meyer. While Meyer said the conversations were strictly about football, Trump contradicted the former Ohio State and Florida coach, saying that the conversations were more about politics than college football.
What does Trump look for when hiring someone?
Pate then pivoted to the 2026 national championship game that Trump attended. Using Curt Cignetti and Mario Cristobal as examples of good hires Indiana and Miami made, respectively, Pate asked Trump what goes into a good hire.
Trump went on to compliment his current cabinet, saying he learned a lot from the experience of his first term. He then complimented former Georgia star Herschel Walker.
‘Herschel is a special guy,’ Trump said. ‘I think Herschel did very well. He tried very hard in his Senate run. … I think you could make the case he was the greatest player in college football.’
The final three questions revolved around what Trump learned from his first term to use in his second, ‘the moment he realized he was president’ and separating personal issues from business, with those lightly touching on sports.
