President Donald Trump reportedly plans to attend a high-profile college football game in the deep red state of Alabama Saturday, a decision that critics are speculating is evidence that the White House is trying to find a public sporting event where the president won't be booed by the crowd.
Saturday's game, a match-up between No. 1 ranked University of Alabama and No. 2 ranked Louisiana State University, is the president's third attempt in as many weeks to bask in the cheers of thousands of sports fans.
"World Series was in D.C. so he felt like going, then was startled to get booed," tweeted Intercept editor Ryan Grim. "So he went to a UFC fight to prove some people don't hate him. That turned out to be untrue, so now he's still hunting."
Grim called the president's decision to attend the game in that context "genuinely sad."
This is genuinely sad. https://t.co/2arf9f5wSQ
— Ryan Grim (@ryangrim) November 4, 2019
Drew Magary, a former writer for Deadspin who likely would have already written this article had he and the rest of the site's staff not last week left en masse due to restrictive editorial directives from the outlet's private equity owners, mocked the president's decision on Twitter.
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"Desperately searching for a sporting event where his ass won't get booed," said Magary.
Other social media users joined in the ridicule.
Breaking: Trump "so, so excited" to attend the Staten Island police league softball championship
— rent control (@AllezLesBoulez) November 4, 2019
A college town probably not the best place to go if you're looking not to get booed, even if it is Alabama. https://t.co/EjsbBQQVZV
— Cowardly John Brown (@MitchellCares) November 4, 2019
If Trump is booed at the Alabama game, opined Media Matters editor-at-large Parker Molloy with a sense of rising dread, the president will probably continue looking for games until he gets what he wants.
"Oh god," said Molloy, "he's just going to keep going to sports events until they don't boo him, isn't he?"