Source: President Trump Expected to Attend College Football National Championship
President Donald Trump is expected to attend the College Football Playoff championship game between LSU and Clemson in New Orleans on Jan. 13, Sports Illustrated's Ross Dellenger confirmed.
The Advocate's Elizabeth Crisp was first to report the news.
The decision comes less than a week after Trump called LSU coach Ed Orgeron following the Tigers' victory over Oklahoma in the College Football Playoff semifinal.
"I was very honored to get a call from President Trump," Orgeron said on Tuesday of the call. "He was very pleasant to talk to. Very complimentary of our football team, our coaching staff. Complimentary of the way the state of Louisiana has rallied around us. Was complimentary of the way we played all year and wished us good luck in the game."
As Dellenger noted earlier this week, Trump, LSU and Louisiana have been interconnected in a variety of ways. He has already attended an LSU game this season, watching the Tigers upset Alabama in November from a midfield suite at Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Ala.
During a radio appearance, Trump discussed LSU's Heisman Trophy–winning quarterback, Joe Burrow. Plus, Louisiana is a strong base for the president. He received 58% of the vote in the 2016 presidential election, obtaining more individual votes than any previous candidate on a Louisiana ballot.
Over the last few months, Trump has also attended a number of sporting events.
In mid-December, Trump attended the famed Army-Navy rivalry game for the second year in a row, and third time in the last four years.
Weeks earlier, Trump was greeted with loud cheers from the crowd at Bryant-Denny Stadium during the game between LSU and Alabama.
He received a loud chorus of boos from the crowd at Game 5 of the World Series between the Nationals and Astros on Oct. 27. Fans in attendance loudly yelled "lock him up," a chant Trump supporters began in 2016 that was directed at his opponent and Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton.
Shortly after attending the World Series, Trump visited UFC 244 at Madison Square Garden in New York and became the first president to attend an MMA event. He was met with a mixed reaction of cheers and boos from the crowd, and one fan held up a Trump 2020 flag.
Trump has also previously attended a college football national championship, watching Alabama's matchup against Georgia in Jan. 2018.
Kickoff for this year's national championship is set for 8 p.m. ET at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans.
