Donald Trump has given three teams he expected to be in the Super Bowl mix, while hinting at one of his favorite quarterbacks.
The US President was in attendance at the 2026 finale of the inaugural Patriot Games in Ohio, held as part of America’s 250 celebration.
Two high school-aged athletes from each state were selected to compete for a scholarship fund, awarded to one male and female.
During the event, Trump was caught by ESPN’s Laura Rutledge, who herself has been promoted within the network.
Rutledge asked President Trump who he thought would win the Super Bowl in 2026.
“I’ll pick a few. I think New England [Patriots] looks good,” Trump replied.
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“I think the [New York] Giants. I like their quarterback a lot.
“I think that they say the LA Rams are looking very strong, but I better not get into this too much. I’m gonna get myself in trouble if I do.
“I think you have a lot of good teams. A lot of great teams and we’ll see how it turns out. I’ll be watching.”
It’s no surprise that Trump picked the Giants as Super Bowl contenders, has he has a strong relationship with quarterback Jaxson Dart, who clearly he’s a fan on.
Alongside calling him ‘handsome,’ and a ‘male model,’ Trump has previously said that the 24-year-old is a future Hall of Famer.
Dart introduced Trump at a Republican Rally in New York, a move which caused tension in the locker room.
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A team meeting took place, where they acknowledged the cameo took them by surprise, and Dart maintained that it wasn’t a political move.
Trump welcomed to Ohio by Pat McAfee
Stepping off Air Force One, Trump was handed a warm welcome by ESPN star Pat McAfee.
A video posted on X shows McAfee welcoming Trump on the tarmac in Cleveland as he arrived for the high school sports competition.
His appearance came just days after the ‘Worldwide Leader In Sports’ agreed to air the games.
The games were a highly-discussed about segment on McAfee’s show this week, he praised the competition for helping keep young people engaged in sports.
“We have no idea what’s going on over there, certainly something we would be interested in though,” McAfee said.
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As for Trump, his NFL picks and vocal backing of Dart only add fuel to an already pressurized season for the young Giants signal caller.
It’s New York’s first under ex-Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh, and and all eyes will be on how quickly the second-year quarterback can flourish under a proven, championship-caliber head coach.
