Trump praises Alabama athletics at commencement

President Donald Trump delivered the commencement address at the University of Alabama Thursday night and easily won the crowd over.

Trump dominated the state in last year’s election, so he already had a home crowd advantage, but he earned bonus points by speaking highly of the school’s athletic programs.

The president called the university a “special place … where legends are made.”

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President Donald Trump delivers commencement remarks at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, Ala., May 1, 2025. (Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images)

“There’s something truly special about the players, coaches and fans who pack the stadium and proudly singing ‘Dixieland Delight.’ We like that. Alabama has changed college football forever,” Trump said, shouting out both the late Bear Bryant and Nick Saban, who introduced Trump.

“The Crimson Tide does not rest, does not quit and does not stop winning until it’s all time. You’re always winning. That’s why the University of Alabama football team has won more games in the last decade than any college football team in America. That’s not bad. It’s why, last fall, you beat Auburn for the fifth year in a row. That’s not bad. The University of Alabama has a brand, and that brand is winning.”

Jam Miller (26) of the Alabama Crimson Tide celebrates after his receiving touchdown with Kadyn Proctor (74) during the first quarter at Bryant-Denny Stadium Sept. 28, 2024, in Tuscaloosa, Ala. (Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

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Trump also shouted out the men’s basketball team that reached its first Final Four in program history.

“Not only is Alabama a great football school, it’s now one of the nation’s best basketball schools,” he said.

Trump also praised the women’s track team, which won the SEC, before again promising that transgender athletes won’t participate in girls and women’s sports.

The football team lost the ReliaQuest Bowl to Michigan, its second-straight bowl loss to the Wolverines, who beat them in the Rose Bowl en route to the 2024 national championship.

President Donald Trump shakes hands with former Alabama Crimson Tide football coach Nick Saban at Coleman Coliseum at the University of Alabama May 1, 2025, in Tuscaloosa, Ala. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

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Trump attended the Crimson Tides’ 41-34 victory over Georgia last season before the election.

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