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TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — On Wednesday morning, a White House official told Front Office Sports that President Donald Trump is still planning to attend this Saturday’s Georgia–Alabama game in Tuscaloosa despite potential disruption from Tropical Storm Isaias. But on Wednesday afternoon, Trump himself said that his status is up in the air. The game is set for a 7:30 pm E.T. kickoff.
While fielding questions from reporters, Trump said that the trajectory of the storm will determine whether he makes the trip.
“I hadn’t heard about a hurricane,” Trump said. “A hurricane is going in the vicinity of Alabama? That’s not good. Certainly, I’m going to let the hurricane determine; I want people to be safe.”
On Tuesday, an SEC spokesperson told FOS that the conference is monitoring the situation closely, and is “staying in communication with schools with games that could be impacted by weather.” Alabama athletics released a statement of its own on Tuesday, saying that there are no current plans to move or postpone Saturday’s game.
“Alabama Athletics is closely monitoring the weather forecast ahead of Saturday’s football game vs. Georgia,” the statement read. “At this time, there are no plans to alter the contest. We will continue to observe conditions throughout the week and remain in communication with the Southeastern Conference office, as needed. Fans are encouraged to rely on official Alabama Athletics and SEC channels for the latest information regarding Saturday’s game.”
The exact impact on Saturday’s game is yet to be determined, but winds near 45 miles per hour and multiple inches of rain are expected throughout the state. On Wednesday, Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer and Georgia coach Kirby Smart commented on their team’s preparations and said they will adjust depending on the forecast throughout the week.
“It depends on the level of weather you get,” DeBoer said. “It hasn’t affected us much other than doing some wet ball drills and getting a wet ball involved in some of our team reps. I’m not involved too much, just updated on where things stand […] but I haven’t heard anything recently.
The National Weather Service released an update late Wednesday morning, saying that the tropical storm is expected to strengthen into a “strong hurricane” before approaching the Gulf Coast on Friday. Local meteorologists have predicted the storm to make landfall Friday evening.
“It’s uncertainty. [It’s] beyond my control,” Smart said. “We, as coaches, game plan for multiple situations, weather conditions, when they’re there. We had that same prep last week with the threat of those things. … You can’t simulate them, so you’re much better off to educate, learn from the past of other people who have played in them, and prepare your team to play and not make it about that.”
This will be the second SEC football game that President Trump has attended in recent weeks, as he also witnessed Texas’s 20-17 victory over Tennessee in Knoxville on Sept. 26.
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