President Donald Trump has named the unfancied New York Giants among his three Super Bowl contenders – thanks to his love of young quarterback Jaxson Dart.
Dart is entering his second season in the NFL after an encouraging first year with the Giants having been drafted No.25 overall. He has a new head coach for his sophomore season after the arrival of John Harbaugh from Baltimore and there are high hopes of big improvement after last year’s 4-13 season.
And while they are considered by most to be nowhere near a Super Bowl contender, President Trump singled them out as such with ESPN’s Laura Rutledge at the Patriot Games on Tuesday night.
‘I’ll pick a few. I think New England looks good,’ he said. ‘I think the 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.’
Donald Trump named his three Super Bowl contenders while he was at the Patriot Games
Trump singled out ‘great quarterback’ Jaxson Dart as he made a surprise Giants pick
The Patriots and Rams are considered far more likely to make a championship run, with New England losing last year’s Super Bowl to the Seahawks and the Rams assembling a star-studded roster after the offseason addition of Myles Garrett.
Dart and Trump have developed into an offseason storyline after the young Giants quarterback introduced the President at a Republican rally in Suffern, New York on May 22.
Trump later fawned over Dart, saying in the Oval Office: ‘The quarterback Jaxson was the quarter— is the quarterback for the Giants. He’s a big, strong guy.
‘And I said, “How do you think you do in women’s sports, Jaxson?” He said, “Pretty good, sir.” He didn’t know I was joking. He was not worried. Let me put it that way.
‘He would have been the greatest athlete in the history of women’s sports. You got to see the size of this guy, like a male model, and he’s going to be a great quarterback.’
Dart’s appearance caused a rift in the Giants locker room, with defensive star Abdul Carter publicly calling him out, writing: ‘Thought this s*** was AI, what we doing man,’ in an X post he later deleted.
Both players later addressed the controversy at OTAs in May, with neither fully backing down or admitting wrongdoing but insisting their difference in political opinion would have no impact on the Giants locker room.
‘Some things are bigger than football, and this is one of those things,’ Carter said. ‘Jaxson is one of our leaders. He’s the face of our franchise.
Dart left the Giants locker room divided after introducing Trump at a rally this offseason
Dart is hoping to take a big leap in his second season with the Giants under a new head coach
‘He not only represents himself and what he does, but he represents all of us, and that goes for anybody who wears a Giants uniform, but if he chooses to align himself with a man like President Trump, it’s my responsibility, based on what I believe and what I stand on, to not only show my teammates that I’m against that, but to show the world.
‘And that doesn’t mean that we have to spread hate. It doesn’t mean that me and Jaxson hate each other, or we have beef. I sit next to Jaxson every day, every team meeting, we’re close, we talk.
‘As long as we make sure we got the same goal as a team and our goals in line, which they do, I feel like that’s all that matters. So, I just want to move past this.’
Dart explained: ‘This was a unique opportunity being asked and given the opportunity to introduce the President of the United States. My thinking was pretty simple in the fact of I’ve always loved this country. I have extended family members who have fought in wars.
‘So, the president position has always been a position that I’ve well-respected, regardless of political affiliation, regardless of political party, and, you know, my intentions were just that. I also understand that in this world, politics can be a sensitive matter – a sensitive topic.
‘I also understand that I am the quarterback of the New York Giants, and that involves a lot of responsibility. It’s under a limelight, under a microscope, and there’s a lot that comes with that, and it’s been something that I’ve embraced. I’ve loved being here.
‘I love the city of New York. I love the [state] of New Jersey, the people that I’ve met here – it’s just been a really amazing experience, and there’s not another place that I’d rather be. Most importantly, the people in this organization, my teammates, the staff, coaches, everybody that has a hand.
‘We’ve had a lot of honest conversations with each other as a team, and I’d like to keep those things private between me and my teammates. And just everything that’s been said.
Trump defended Dart publicly after the backlash he faced for introducing the President
‘But, you know, I love these guys, and going forward, I can’t wait for what more we have to grow the culture of this team, our brotherhood, and, obviously, we understand the biggest goal is to be the best team that we can be, to put ourselves in the best position to succeed, to chase a championship.
‘To be the best players for coach Harbs and all the coaches here, and that’s our focus going forward each and every day. I can’t wait to continue to do that. Appreciate you guys.’
After the backlash against his appearance alongside Trump, the President took to Truth Social to defend the Giants quarterback.
‘Thank you Jaxson! It was great being with you,’ he wrote. ‘I know you’re taking some heat from the Radical Left Lunatics who are jealous of you, me, and everyone who surrounds us but, I also know that your Jersey also went to Number One, and you’re making Millions of Dollars so, YOU ARE A WINNER — THEY ARE ALL LOSERS.
‘I’ll see you in the White House! President DJT.’
