Donald Trump received a thunderous welcome from college football supporters on Saturday after flying in to watch the SEC clash between No. 1 Texas and No. 14 Tennessee.
Shortly after midday local time, Trump appeared on Neyland Stadium’s enormous jumbotron, prompting a deafening reaction from the sellout crowd of more than 101,000.
Wearing a dark suit and red tie, the president smiled and repeatedly pumped his fist from a luxury suite as he acknowledged the enthusiastic ovation.
He watched from the suite beside political ally Marsha Blackburn, the Tennessee senator dressed in the bright orange associated with the Volunteers.
Trump’s appearance came at the end of an energetic buildup that began above Knoxville, where Air Force One performed a flyover of Neyland Stadium for waiting fans.
The presidential aircraft landed at nearby McGhee Tyson Airport at 11.39am. Trump then walked down stairs marked “Tennessee Air National Guard” and “Volunteers” before his heavily secured motorcade made its way to campus.
Donald Trump received a thunderous welcome from college football supporters on Saturday after flying in for the SEC showdown between No. 1 Texas and No. 14 Tennessee
Trump appeared on Neyland Stadium’s enormous jumbotron shortly after arriving in Knoxville
Among those accompanying him for the high-profile matchup were Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, Tennessee Senator Bill Hagerty and local Representative Tim Burchett.
The president’s visit triggered a major security operation across the University of Tennessee campus. Stadium gates opened at 9am so the US Secret Service could screen the huge crowd at security checkpoints.
Secret Service agents, tactical teams and K-9 units kept a prominent presence around the stadium concourses and sidelines throughout the morning.
Trump’s attendance also created an unusual strategic concern for both teams. Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian had said that communications between coaches and quarterbacks through their helmets could potentially be interrupted.
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“Anytime he enters the stadium, leaves the stadium or changes locations within the stadium, they cut all communication,” Sarkisian said earlier in the week.
“You have to have a plan to adjust if and when he comes in the middle of the first quarter, leaves in the fourth quarter, or decides he’s got to use the restroom.”
But shortly after kickoff, reporter Laura Rutledge said both teams had coordinated with the Secret Service to address the issue: “I have confirmation from both teams, Texas and Tennessee, that they’ve worked with the Secret Service to make sure that their radio frequencies are cleared with the Secret Service. They think that the comms should be perfectly okay, coach to coach.”
Tennessee Senator Marsha Blackburn shared a selfie with Trump from inside their suite
Neyland Stadium erupted when Trump was shown on the jumbotron shortly after kickoff
Trump’s arrival followed an energetic pre-game buildup that began with an Air Force One flyover above Neyland Stadium
Snipers were spotted on Knoxville rooftops as heightened security measures were put in place
“The one concern they have is coach to player, but they have worked on all kinds of signaling. If that does go down, communication-wise, sources did tell me at major events like this, there’s always going to be electromagnetic deconfliction.”
Despite her claim, just moments later, ABC’s broadcast suffered major technical issues, with Kirk Herbstreit’s microphone producing loud static as he spoke.
The clash carried immense football significance, marking the first start at Neyland Stadium for Texas sophomore quarterback Arch Manning, whose uncle Peyton Manning became a program legend in Knoxville.
Both powerhouse programs entered Saturday’s contest undefeated at 3-0, with Steve Sarkisian’s top-ranked Longhorns seeking to defend their crown and Tennessee aiming to score a monumental upset under the eyes of the commander-in-chief.
