Trump to attend college football championship game between Clemson, LSU

by Brett Samuels - 01/07/20 8:51 AM ET

President Trump is expected to be in the stands on Monday for the College Football Playoff National Championship in New Orleans, according to two people familiar with the plans.

Trump will travel to the Mercedes-Benz Superdome on Jan. 13 for the match-up between the Clemson University Tigers and the Louisiana State University (LSU) Tigers.

A Federal Aviation Agency (FAA) advisory was posted Monday for VIP movement in New Orleans, another indication the president would be in town for the game.

Trump previously attended the college football title game in 2018 when it was played in Atlanta. He stood on the field during the national anthem and left the stadium at halftime.

The president is likely to receive a warm welcome at the Superdome in New Orleans. He won the state of Louisiana by roughly 20 percentage points in 2016 and won the state of South Carolina, where Clemson is located, by about 14 percentage points.

Clemson is the defending national champion, and the team visited the White House in January 2019. The celebration took place during a government shutdown, and Trump served the team fast food from Burger King, McDonald’s, Wendy’s and Domino’s Pizza.

The president spoke highly of LSU during his multiple visits to Louisiana ahead of its gubernatorial election last year, singling out quarterback Joe Burrow, the 2019 Heisman Trophy winner as the best player in college football, for praise. He also reportedly called LSU head coach Ed Orgeron following the team’s semifinal win on Dec. 28.

Monday’s championship will mark the third college football game Trump will attend in person this season. He attended the highly anticipated match-up between LSU and the University of Alabama Crimson Tide in November, and Trump traveled to Philadelphia in December for the annual Army vs. Navy game.