As expected, the much ballyhooed college sports roundtable at the White House hosted by President Donald Trump was a giant waste of everybody’s time.
Dozens of people gathered at the White House from across college athletics, media and politics. Everyone from ESPN President Jimmy Pitaro to Texas Tech booster Cody Campbell to Nick Saban and Urban Meyer to Marco Rubio and Jim Jordan were there. Of course, no current athletes were represented, which was maybe the point. After all, Trump and company basically ended up pining for the days when athletes didn’t have access to NIL and were just limited to scholarship money.
After a lot of complaining and hand-wringing, Trump vowed to issue another executive order that will likely accomplish as much as his first one did in an effort to “save college sports” – nothing. He also had to answer questions from the press about his war in Iran and why this was a good time to have an expansive photo op to meet about college sports.
It all went downhill very quickly. But there was at least one moment to lighten the mood and highlight the absurdity of it all.
A reporter present at the press conference, identified by social media as a little-known Virginia conservative talk show host named John Fredricks. He attempted to ask a question of Trump. However, he led the question with the statement, “as you know my son Joe is a high-level D-1 athlete, third-year relief pitcher, University of Maryland.”
Trump then stopped Fredricks dead in his tracks by saying “how would I known that?” to awkward laughter in the room.
Reporter: As you know, my son Joe is a college baseball player…
Trump: How would I know that? He said “as you know” — I don’t even know who the guy is. 😭 pic.twitter.com/b55Nnimvtj
— johnny maga (@johnnymaga) March 6, 2026
It does check out as there is a Joseph Fredricks who is a pitcher on the University of Maryland baseball roster. Unfortunately, thus far in 2026 he has a 18.90 ERA in five appearances.
Why a Virginia talk show host was at this event is a question worth asking in its own right, but imagine assuming that the PRESIDENT OF THE UNTIED STATES is intimately familiar with your son’s collegiate baseball career with everything going on in the world today. And then imagine being presumptive enough to lead with that assumption when asking a question in front of the entire world. No amount of “person, woman, camera, man, TV” is going to make that happen.
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