On Friday, President Donald Trump enacted the “Preserving America’s Game” executive order, ensuring that the historic Army-Navy football clash remains a unique fixture in the college football schedule.

The signing took place as the Midshipmen visited the White House to commemorate their victory in the Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy competition. This prestigious trophy is awarded to either Army, Navy, or Air Force if one team defeats the others in their annual matchups.

However, not everyone was pleased with this executive decision, notably Stephen A. Smith.

Expressing his disapproval on his SiriusXM show via Mad Dog Sports Radio, Smith said, “Actions like this from the President really frustrate me. He’s interfering in areas where I believe the President shouldn’t. Who does he think he is? Every time I attempt to approach this presidency with a balanced perspective, he pulls stunts like this. It’s infuriating.”

Smith continued, “If the Army-Navy game is featured on NBC, does that mean FOX and CBS are barred from broadcasting their content? All because the President issued an executive order to prioritize Army-Navy over other sports events? What if some viewers aren’t interested in watching it? Who is he to dictate the schedule to the broadcast industry?”

He added, “This kind of overreach is what’s causing turmoil in our nation. Aren’t there more pressing issues to address? And now, he’s trying to control which football games we should tune into? It’s outrageous!”

With the current College Football Playoff schedule, the Army-Navy game currently sits between conference championship weekend and the first weekend of the 12-team playoff. However, potential expansion could lead to earlier games. The Army-Navy game is set to be broadcast on CBS until 2038.

Navy defeated Army in a thrilling 17-16 victory to win the Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy in December during a historic season that saw the program finish 11-2, marking the team’s first back-to-back 10-win seasons in program history.

“The annual Army-Navy game is truly one of the most special occasions in all of sports, but in recent years, the College Football Playoff expansion has encroached on this sacred four-hour time slot traditionally reserved for Army-Navy,” the president said during his speech Friday. “I’m going to sign an executive order to ensure that the second Saturday in December is preserved exclusively. Nobody’s playing football – not Ohio State against Notre Dame, not LSU against Alabama – nobody’s going to play football for four hours during that very special time of the year in December. It’s preserved forever for the Army-Navy game.”

Earlier this month, Trump held a roundtable to try to combat the effects of NIL in college sports. 

Trump joked that the ramifications of signing the executive order might result in a lawsuit. 

“Of course, we’ll probably get sued at some point. We will get sued, but we win those suits, and we’ll win this one.”

Trump first signaled his intentions to sign the executive order in a Truth Social post in January, saying at the time, “This incredible Tradition is now at risk of being pushed aside by more College Playoff Games, and Big TV Money. NOT ANYMORE!”

Fox News’ Paulina Dedaj contributed to this report.

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