Trump drops plan to attend Alabama-Georgia game in Tuscaloosa as Hurricane Isaias nears
In short
President Donald Trump will no longer attend Saturday's Alabama-Georgia football game in Tuscaloosa, Ala., because of Hurricane Isaias. Trump said in a Truth Social post that first responders and law enforcement should be focused on the storm rather than on the president's safety. He said he still plans to travel to Clarksville, Tenn., for a rally on Saturday.
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President Donald Trump will no longer attend Saturday's Southeastern Conference (SEC) football game between Alabama and Georgia in Tuscaloosa, Ala., because of Hurricane Isaias, Fox News, The Hill and Reuters reported. The White House confirmed the change to OutKick on Friday, Fox News reported, and Trump confirmed it in a Truth Social post, according to The Hill. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
"Based on the fact that a huge Hurricane/Storm is coming, it is important to have our wonderful First Responders, Law Enforcement, and others, focused on that Storm, and in no way be thinking about the safety, or presence, of the President of the United States, ME!" Trump wrote. He said he hopes the game will go ahead despite the weather and that he will visit both teams "at a later date," The Hill reported. [ 2 ]
Fox News reported that the storm was expected to make landfall near the Florida panhandle on Friday night and move toward the Carolinas. The Hill reported that Tuscaloosa is not currently projected to be in the eye of the storm but is under a tropical storm warning. According to Fox News, six college football games changed their kickoff times because of the storm and one was cancelled, and ESPN's "College GameDay" said it would broadcast indoors at the Tuscaloosa campus. [ 1 , 2 ]
Trump said in his post that he still plans to travel to Clarksville, Tenn., for a rally on Saturday. "I will go to Tennessee, where we have quickly called a Big Rally in order to get our fantastic Congressional Candidates, our Great Senator, Bill Hagerty, and a woman who will go down as one of the most impactful Governors in the State's History, Marsha Blackburn, elected!" he wrote, according to The Hill. [ 2 ]
Georgia is ranked second in the nation and Alabama sixth, and both teams are undefeated, Fox News reported. The game is set to kick off at 7:30 p.m. ET on ABC. The teams met twice last season: Alabama won 24-21 in Athens during the regular season, and Georgia won 28-7 in the SEC Championship Game. [ 1 ]
The game would have been Trump's second SEC game in a month, The Hill reported. Fox News said Trump attended the Texas-Tennessee game last week, while The Hill said he traveled to Knoxville for that game last month. Trump also attended the 2024 Alabama-Georgia game in Tuscaloosa, which Alabama won 41-34. According to Fox News, in 2025 he became the first sitting president to attend a Super Bowl and also went to the Daytona 500, the U.S. Open men's final, the Ryder Cup, the Army-Navy game and several UFC events. [ 1 , 2 ]
Why it matters
Trump said he cancelled so that first responders and law enforcement could concentrate on the storm instead of presidential security. The storm has also changed the college football schedule, with six games moving their kickoff times and one cancelled, according to Fox News.
Key facts
- Trump will not attend the Alabama-Georgia game because of Hurricane Isaias. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- The White House confirmed the change to OutKick on Friday, and Trump confirmed it in a Truth Social post. [ 1 , 2 ]
- Tuscaloosa is not projected to be in the eye of the storm but is under a tropical storm warning, The Hill reported. [ 2 ]
- The storm was expected to make landfall near the Florida panhandle Friday night and move toward the Carolinas, Fox News reported. [ 1 ]
- Six college football games changed their kickoff times and one was cancelled because of the storm, Fox News reported. [ 1 ]
- Trump said he will still travel to Clarksville, Tenn., for a rally on Saturday. [ 2 ]
- Georgia is ranked second and Alabama sixth; both teams are undefeated. [ 1 ]
Confirmed by several sources
Still unclear
- When Trump attended the Texas-Tennessee game. Fox News says it was last week, while The Hill says it was last month in Knoxville.
- When Trump will visit the two teams. Trump said only that he will visit both teams "at a later date"; no date was given.
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- Fox News reports that the White House confirmed to OutKick that Trump will no longer attend the game. [ 1 ]
- The Hill reports that Trump confirmed in a Truth Social post that he will not attend. [ 2 ]
- Reuters reports that Trump cancelled his trip to the Alabama football game. [ 3 ]
- The game is scheduled to kick off on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. ET on ABC. [ 1 ]