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Critical reaction to President Donald Trump’s live interview with Fox Sports on Sunday was decidedly mixed. But if I had to sum up my reaction in one word it would be: fumble.
I don’t have a problem with Fox interviewing the president during its broadcast of Lions-Commanders from D.C. After all, Trump could be the biggest sports fan to ever occupy the Oval Office.
He was the first sitting commander-in-chief to attend the Super Bowl in February. From his golf empire and long-standing relationship with UFC to his ownership of the USFL’s New Jersey Generals and 2014 attempt to buy the NFL’s Bills, Trump has a long history with pro sports. Plus, this was Veterans Day weekend in the nation’s capital. And to its credit, Fox does a sterling job saluting veterans and serving members of the U.S. Armed Forces.
But couldn’t Fox’s Kenny Albert and Jonathan Vilma have asked one news-making question during an interview that lasted more than eight minutes? Here are two topics the outspoken POTUS might have teed off about: the Commanders’ new $3.7 billion stadium and the backlash to the NFL’s selection of Bad Bunny as halftime performer for Super Bowl LX on Feb. 8.
On Saturday, ESPN’s Don Van Natta Jr. and Adam Schefter reported that Trump wants Washington’s proposed domed stadium named after him. That’s not a big surprise since his name has graced everything from luxury buildings and airlines to fragrances and Bibles. As White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told ESPN: “That would be a beautiful name, as it was President Trump who made the rebuilding of the new stadium possible.”
Fox passed on the opportunity—even after the president himself provided an opening when he mentioned the Commanders building a “beautiful stadium” under owner Josh Harris. It would have been dead simple to ask Trump if he wanted Washington to name it after him. Instead, Albert began talking about the old RFK Stadium. Huh?
Then, there was Bad Bunny. It was only a month ago that Trump called the Grammy winner’s selection “crazy” and “absolutely ridiculous.” The Bad Bunny backlash generated global headlines, with the late Charlie Kirk’s Turning Point USA announcing it would counterprogram the NFL’s halftime show. Despite speculation the NFL would back down, commissioner Roger Goodell stood by the choice during the league’s fall meetings. How would Trump respond? Does he still care about Bad Bunny? We don’t know. Fox didn’t ask.
The closest Fox came to a tough question was when Vilma asked the president about “where we are as a nation.” As a skilled politician, Trump hit that softball out of the park—while also getting in a dig at former President Joe Biden. “We’re doing great,” he replied. “Recruitment is doing phenomenally. People have spirit. Our stock market hit an all-time high. Prices are coming down. We inherited a mess. Prices are coming way down. I’ll tell you, our country has over 17 trillion dollars being invested in it, which is a record. So we’re doing great.”
What we got instead of real questions was the ask for Trump to reminisce about his youthful days playing football at the New York Military Academy, how many touchdowns he scored (none, recalled Trump), and NFL legend Joe Namath, who retired in 1978.
One thing I liked was when Trump talked about how sports are a “microcosm” for life. But for the most part, the interview was banal and meandering. The most cringeworthy moment came when Fox invited the president to try his hand at play-calling à la former President Ronald Reagan. “This is a very big play, don’t you think?” offered Trump.
Other U.S. presidents have received similar network invites. Former President Joe Biden was supposed to do a pre–Super Bowl interview with Fox in 2023. But Biden’s on-again, off-again sit-down with Fox Soul was finally shelved, with both sides pointing the finger at the other. Former President Barack Obama, meanwhile, appeared so often on ESPN he was practically an anchor.
I’m a big Kenny Albert fan. He’s one of the most talented and versatile play-callers in the game. And I get it. Nobody expects him and Vilma to morph into investigative reporters, or for them to confront Trump with aggressive 60 Minutes–style questioning. They’re more comfortable talking about Cover 2 than government shutdowns and D.C. politics.
But where were their producers? Here’s the bottom line: Fox had eight and a half minutes to get some news out of the most newsworthy person in the country. In the end, the network didn’t have much to show for it.
