Since before he was president, Donald Trump has aligned himself with the sports world. But his nine-minute appearance on an NFL on Fox broadcast takes the cake for the most surprising connection to the sports world we’ve seen since he took office.
For an entire Washington Commanders drive in the third quarter of Sunday’s matchup with the Detroit Lions at Northwest Stadium, Trump joined Fox announcers Kenny Albert and Jonathan Vilma to talk football, politics, Washington, and more.
Trump announced earlier in the week that he would attend the game in Washington via Pat McAfee, but the appearance on Fox wasn’t revealed until early Sunday. The president presided over a halftime ceremony for the league’s Salute to Service military appreciation event, then moved over to the broadcast booth for a wide-ranging interview.
At one point, as the Commanders’ drive dragged on, Vilma teed Trump up with an open-ended question that pushed the segment into likely anxious territory for Fox producers, asking the president about “where we are as a nation.”
“We’re doing great,” Trump responded. “People have spirit, our stock market hit an all-time high. Prices are coming down. We inherited a mess, prices are coming way down. And I’ll tell you, our country has over $17 trillion being invested in it, which is a record. So I’ll tell you, we’re doing great.”
President Donald Trump’s full interview in the booth with Kenny Albert and Jonathan Vilma ⤵️pic.twitter.com/cM3hvbZn8T
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) November 9, 2025
Earlier in the week, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that part of Trump’s continued interest in the Commanders’ stadium negotiations and his decision to attend Sunday’s game came from his desire for the venue to be named after him.
Trump mentioned that he was “involved” in the plans for a new stadium near the end of his hit, but essentially allowed Albert and Vilma to guide the conversation. Fox viewers also saw photos from Trump’s high school football career and even some play-by-play from the president.
After a Washington touchdown, Trump commented that Fox’s ratings would go up because Commanders fans had “hope.”
“I love ratings,” Trump said. “You gotta have ratings. But you guys have the ratings, too.”
Fox Sports, of course, lives under the same corporate umbrella as Fox News, a Trump favorite and a source for several members of the president’s administration.
Since winning last year’s election for a second term, Trump has been all over the sports scene, attending the Super Bowl and numerous other high-profile events, drawing mixed reactions. The native New Yorker and lifelong sports fan is even planning to host a UFC card at the White House next summer for his 80th birthday.
About Brendon Kleen
Brendon is a Media Commentary staff writer at Awful Announcing. He has also covered basketball and sports business at Front Office Sports, SB Nation, Uproxx and more.