Former President Donald Trump has arrived in Alabama ahead of Saturday’s highly anticipated Crimson Tide-Georgia Bulldogs game in Tuscaloosa.
Several X users noted Trump’s plane arriving in Birmingham earlier in the day.
Unfortunately for the roughly 100,000 attendees, Trump’s presence necessitated enhanced security, leading to egregiously long lines for fans.
‘Trump causing Alabama to become a swing state with this security,’ one Tide fan wrote on X alongside a photo of hundreds Alabamans waiting to enter Bryant-Denny Stadium.
The good news for fans is that the game ranks as one of the most anticipated of the college football calendar, with the Bulldogs entering at No. 2 and the Tide holding onto the No. 4 spot in the AP Top-25.
A view of the stickers worn by fans at the Alabama Crimson Tide-Georgia Bulldogs game
Fans wait outside Bryant-Denny Stadium as security is heightened before the game
Read More
Donald Trump's college gameday meal revealed ahead of his trip to Georgia-Alabama game
Trump’s presence was anticipated on Saturday in Tuscaloosa. Fans were seen with stickers featuring his face and now-infamous quote, ‘They’re eating the Dawgs’ – a nod to his controversial comments about Haitian immigrants coupled with a dig at Georgia.
In attending the game between Georgia and Alabama, Trump will watch two teams that have dominated college football over the last decade. Seven of the last nine CFP title games has featured at least one of them.
The 2017 season title game and the 2021 edition were between the conference foes, with one school winning each.
In terms of campaigning, Trumps is entering a Republican stronghold of Alabama, while trying to win back Georgia, after he lost the state to Joe Biden in 2020. Trump won Georgia over Hilary Clinton in 2016.
Kamala Harris is planning to brutally taunt Trump over his refusal to debate her for a second time when he attends the game.
And while he watches on from the stands, the 78-year-old will reportedly be trolled by election rival Kamala in the skies.
According to CNN, Harris campaign officials plan to fly a small plane over Bryant-Denny Stadium with a banner that reads: ‘Trump’s Punting on 2nd Debate.’
The bold plane stunt is not the only way they will try to coax Trump into a second debate, nevertheless.
It is believed the Harris campaign is also set to air a national TV ad during the game on ESPN, in which Kamala will call on her bitter adversary to have it out with her one more time.
‘Winners never back down from a challenge,’ the ad’s narrator is quoted as saying. ‘Champions know it’s any time, any place. But losers, they whine and waffle and take their ball home.’
Harris’ campaign is said to have accepted CNN’s request for a second debate next month, but Trump is so far yet to do so.
The former President is arguing that the proposed October 23 date is too late in the schedule given early voting has already started in some states. However, both the 2020 and 2016 elections included mid-October debates that he participated in.
The teams also faced in last year’s SEC Championship Game with Alabama ending Georgia’s 28-game winning streak.
Before attending the crucial football game, Trump spoke at a rally in Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin, which is three hours west of Milwaukee.
This is the first Alabama game Trump has attended since leaving office. He attended the first national-championship showdown between the teams in early 2018 where Tua Tagovailoa replaced Jalen Hurts at halftime and led the Crimson Tide to an overtime victory.
The last time Trump saw Alabama play live was in 2019, when he was in Tuscaloosa for its loss to a Joe Burrow-led LSU team.
Anyone with stadium access covering the game had to go through a secret service check of their cars, including opening their hoods and having a canine smell their vehicle.