Trump Attends Alabama’s Surprising Win Over Georgia and Fans Are Calling Him a Lucky Charm
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Alabama football put on an unforgettable performance in front of a special guest—former president Donald Trump—during their thrilling 41-34 upset win over Georgia at Bryant-Denny Stadium. With Trump in attendance, the Crimson Tide dominated the first half, establishing a commanding 30-7 lead over the Bulldogs before the former president’s early departure at halftime. Many fans began to see Trump as a good luck charm, especially with Alabama seemingly in control of the game while he was there.
However, Georgia’s fierce rally in the second half raised questions. The Bulldogs scored 21 unanswered points, tightening the score to 41-34 in the fourth quarter, long after Trump had left. This led some fans to jokingly suggest that Trump’s presence might have had a greater impact than they first thought. But for those who remember Trump’s previous visit to Tuscaloosa in 2019—when Alabama suffered its only loss of the season to LSU—they might argue otherwise.
But what did the Alabama players and staff think about having Trump in the crowd for such a crucial game? For them, his presence wasn’t as significant as it may have seemed to the fans. From the moment the university announced his attendance to his midgame arrival, the Republican presidential candidate’s appearance didn’t create much buzz within the locker room.
Tight end CJ Dippre didn’t consider it a “big distraction.” In fact, he found it “kind of awesome” to have someone of Trump’s stature at the game. “I don’t get into politics. I don’t vote. I don’t get into it just because I don’t think I’m old enough to need to get into it right now,” Dippre shared. “But I thought it was awesome to have that kind of icon at the game.”
For others, like linebacker Jihaad Campbell, the day felt like any other game. “We didn’t really care about any external factors,” Campbell said. “We had ‘College GameDay’ come. I think the game was on ABC, a bunch of things that came to the game, and we didn’t let that get to our head.”
In the end, Alabama’s win wasn’t attributed to any “Trump effect.” The game came down to the team’s resilience, culminating in an electrifying 75-yard touchdown catch by Ryan Williams that sealed the victory. As Campbell summed it up, “We just had poise and kept fighting.”
