Cheers FINALLY drown out boos as Trump appears at college football game in Alabama after suffering jeers at baseball in Washington and UFC fight in New York City
- Donald Trump and Melania flew to Alabama to attend a football game between the University of Alabama and Louisiana State University Saturday
- Unlike at previous sports outings, Trump received cheers from the audience
- The cheers and applause drowned out the smattering of boos from the crowd
- Trump was previously booed at a World Series baseball game and UFC fight
After being booed at Game 5 of the World Series in Washington DC and at a UFC match in New York City, President Trump found his fans at a college football game in Alabama.
Trump and First Lady Melania Trump flew in to Tuscaloosa, Alabama, to attend the University of Alabama v. Louisiana State University football game Saturday afternoon.
Videos posted on social media showed people applauding and cheering for the Trumps, who were seated in a luxury box, as they were shown on the stadium’s giant video screens.
President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump soak in the applause Saturday while attending the game between the LSU Tigers and Alabama Crimson Tide
The Trumps were seen watching the game from a luxury box. Video showed the crowd cheering and applauding the Trumps, in contrast to his having been booed at other games
A careful listen, however, showed that not all the football fans in the stadium were also Trump supporters, as some strident booing could also be heard in the background of the video.
Newsweek reported that Trump’s introduction was planned to coincide with the game’s first timeout. With no game play going on, people had already turned to look at the luxury box where the Trumps were seated.
Trump was said to have quickly stood from his seat and walked to the front railing with Melania so that he could wave to spectators, while his image was shown on the stadium’s four video screens, leading to what was described as a ‘prolonged’ applause.
In addition to applause, a large portion of the crowd was said to have given Trump a standing ovation, according to TMZ.
About a mile away from the Bryant-Denny Stadium where the game was being held, however, Trump protesters were seen flying the infamous Trump Baby balloon.
A controversy arose in the days prior to the football game, after Trump revealed that he would be attending Saturday’s match up.
Trump’s introduction at the game was said to have been timed to coincide with the game’s first time out, so that fans had already turned away from the field to look at him in the box
The crowd is shown here turning towards the field at the game on Saturday
On November 5, a University of Alabama student revealed that the school’s Student Government Association had sent out an email warning student organizations against engaging ‘disruptive behavior’ at the game.
The email was interpreted by some as being a warning against booing or protesting Trump’s appearance.
The student government later issued a clarification noting that it ‘strongly affirms its belief in free speech and the rights of all students to express their opinions,’ according to a USA Today report
The statement also decried the ‘erroneously assigned a political context to a message meant only to remind students about heightened security and the consequences of altercations or other behaviors unbecoming of a University of Alabama student.’
Trump’s treatment in Alabama stood in stark contrast to his other two big sports experiences.
At Game 5 of the World Series in Washington, DC on October 28, Trump was met with boos and chants of ‘Lock him up.’
Trump was also booed while he attended the UFC fight at Madison Square Garden in New York City on November 2.
Trump won the 2016 election in Alabama with 62.1 per cent of the vote.