Trump Embarrassed on Fox After Question on His Football Stats
Fox Sports viewers got a rare moment of humility from the famously boastful president.
Donald Trump’s big NFL moment turned awkward when a Fox Sports commentator caught him flat-footed with a question about his high school football record.
The president—attending the Washington Commanders’ 44–22 loss to the Detroit Lions on Sunday, the first regular-season NFL game a sitting president has attended in nearly 50 years—joined Fox broadcasters Kenny Albert and Jonathan Vilma in the booth for a brief, supposedly lighthearted chat. It didn’t stay that way for long.
Albert opened by reminiscing about Trump’s playing days at New York Military Academy, where he suited up from 1959 to 1964—four years before a diagnosis of bone spurs in his heels helped him avoid service in Vietnam. “I played tight end,” Trump recalled. “But I mean, it was not quite football like this. It was a little bit easier. It wasn’t so tough. We had a quarterback who didn’t have a very strong arm. I would say 10 yards was a long pass.”
Trump was heavily booed during the game.
Greg Fiume/Getty Images
Things were going smoothly until Vilma threw a surprise blitz: “We were trying to look up your stats…”
“Oh no, that’s bad,” Trump cut in, chuckling uneasily.
Get the best of The Beast delivered right to your inbox
By clicking “SUBSCRIBE” you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
“How many touchdowns did you have back then? Six, seven?” Vilma pressed.
Trump hesitated, then laughed. “I’m not sure I had any! It’s a long time ago… at least you realize that I never tell a lie, right?”
Producers flashed an old black-and-white photo of Trump in uniform, prompting him to grin. “That’s very good, I haven’t seen that picture in a long time,” he said.
People react as unseen Trump appears onscreen during the NFL game.
MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images
The exchange capped a rough outing for Trump, who faced audible boos earlier in the day when the stadium cameras panned to his luxury suite. Standing alongside House Speaker Mike Johnson, he waved gamely to the crowd as jeers mingled with scattered applause.
The jeers came down even harder when Trump, flanked by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, read out the military Oath of Enlistment to swear in new troops.
The president was also jeered when he watched the U.S. Open men’s singles final in September, a Yankees match that same month, and the FIFA World Cup final in July.
Trump slipped out of Sunday’s game before the final whistle.
See more of our coverage in your search results.
Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast here.
Unlock a year of full access to The Looker and The Daily Beast for $35.
Monthly
$1
First month then $5.99/month
Annual
$35
First year then $59.99/year
Premium
$79
First year then $119.99/year
*Substack access provided by the next business day, using your subscription email. Choosing the Premium plan constitutes your permission to share your subscription email with Substack and your agreement to Substack’s Privacy Policy.
Looks like you already have a subscription!
You're all set!
Thanks for subscribing.
Register below to read this article for free or subscribe
to unlock unlimited access to The Looker and The Daily Beast.
Monthly
$1
First month then $5.99/month
Annual
$35
First year then $59.99/year
Premium
$79
First year then $119.99/year
*Substack access provided by the next business day, using your subscription email. Choosing the Premium plan constitutes your permission to share your subscription email with Substack and your agreement to Substack’s Privacy Policy.
Already have an account? Sign In
Looks like you already have a subscription!
You're all set!
Thanks for subscribing.
Sign in
Login dialog
Sign in or create an account
Login dialog
Loading comments…