Donald Trump is looking into possibly visiting Tuscaloosa’s Bryant-Denny Stadium on Sept. 28 when the Alabama Crimson Tide takes on Georgia, according to the head of the state Republican Party.
However, it remains to be seen if those plans were affected by the second apparent attempted assassination of the former president on Sunday in Florida. Ryan Wesley Routh was arrested after that apparent attempt.
“I am aware that Donald Trump was looking into the possibilities of attending the Alabama-Georgia game. Obviously, the Republican Party’s very excited about that possibility,” said John Wahl, chairman of the Alabama Republican Party.
“The people of Alabama and Donald Trump have a special relationship and we are always thrilled when he has a chance to visit our state,” Wahl said.
“That being said, I’m not directly involved with the planning or the coordination and I don’t know if this most recent assassination attempt would have any effect on his possible visit.”
Trump attended two Alabama games while president, and the Tide have gone .500 when the former president is watching in person.
Trump’s campaign could not immediately be reached about the possible visit, and Alabama’s athletics department said it was not aware of any plans for Trump to be at Bryant-Denny.
Tuscaloosa police also had no comment about the former president possibly attending the game.
While Alabama is hardly a swing state, Georgia will be hotly contested in 2024 and is crucial to Donald Trump’s chances of winning the White House in the November election against his Democratic opponent, Vice President Kamala Harris.
Should Trump be in the stands at Bryant-Denny later this month, it will mark his second time at the Tuscaloosa stadium and his third time appearing at an Alabama game.
Trump appeared on the field during the national anthem before Alabama and Georgia kicked off in the 2018 College Football Playoff final in January 2019 in Atlanta, when Tua Tagovailoa found DeVonta Smith for a walk-off win in overtime.
Trump then showed up in Tuscaloosa for another “Game of the Century” between Alabama and LSU inside Bryant-Denny Stadium in November 2019, sitting in a box along with former First Lady Melania Trump.
