President Trump welcomes Alabama Crimson Tide, NCAA football champs, to White House
The Alabama Crimson Tide, this year's NCAA football champions, visited with President Trump on the White House South Lawn Tuesday. The team defeated Georgia in a come-from-behind overtime victory to claim the title in January.
This is the Tide's first time at the White House during President Trump's tenure, after falling to Deshaun Watson and the Clemson Tigers in 2017. Head coach Nick Saban and his winning teams also visited President Obama four times during the previous administration.
Sports teams have compiled a mixed record under Mr. Trump when it comes to the tradition of winning teams visiting the White House. The World Series champion Houston Astros met with President Trump last month, but the NBA champion Golden State Warriors had their invitation revoked last summer via an angry tweet from the president after two-time MVP Stephen Curry indicated he'd rather not go.
The Crimson Tide presented the president with a "Trump" #17 football jersey.
In his remarks, the president praised the team's style of winning — beating opposing teams into submission until "they quit" — and drew a comparison to what's been happening lately at the White House.
"We are doing that to a lot of people," Mr. Trump quipped.
He also recounted how backup quarterback Tua Tagovailoa threw the game-winning 41-yard touchdown pass to win the game.
"Tua dropped back to pass, launched the ball from near midfield — I was watching — and the entire country watched as arms lifted up and DeVonta Smith caught that ball for the win," Mr. Trump said, declaring how proud he was of the way the team played and represented their state.
