Forget the polls. President Donald Trump got a loud reminder of his standing with the public Saturday afternoon: he was booed at a college football game in deep-red Tennessee.
The 80-year-old president was taking in the much-anticipated clash between the Tennessee Volunteers and top-ranked Texas Longhorns at Knoxville’s Neyland Stadium when he appeared on the Jumbotron.
Air Force One had buzzed the stadium after Trump’s arrival, but the welcome inside was decidedly less enthusiastic. Video of the scene, with a roar of boos audible over scattered applause, quickly made its way online.
Trump left at halftime, so he didn’t get to witness Texas beat Tennessee 20-17, but he appeared to consider the outing a success. He later posted a video of himself smiling broadly and fist-pumping on the Jumbotron.
The reaction at the game was not quite unanimous. Some outlets reported that Trump was greeted with loud jeers, while Fox News claimed he received “massive cheers.”
Stadium reactions can be notoriously difficult to judge, depending on where someone is sitting and which microphones are picking up the sound. But a quick survey of several social media video posts generally revealed a striking negative crowd response.
Multiple videos from the game showed a decidedly mixed—and at times hostile—reaction to the president’s attendance. Tennessee’s WBIR sports reporter Emilie Rae Cochrane’s video of the moment captured a chaotic mix of cheers and loud boos.
Some social media users watching the same footage heard a very different reception. “He was being booed like hell, and you could hear it on the TV,” one poster wrote. Another insisted, “Wow, he got a great pop. He’s a beloved president.”
The fact that the reaction was difficult to read is notable. Tennessee gave Trump 64.19 percent of its vote in 2024, making Saturday’s reception at Neyland—however one hears it—an unusual spectacle for a president who has made his popularity with his base a central part of his political identity.
Trump attended the game alongside Tennessee Sens. Marsha Blackburn, who is running for governor, and Bill Hagerty, as well as Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick.
Natalie Harp, Trump’s constant companion, was also there and was photographed showing her boss something on a computer screen. Fox News host Laura Ingraham also traveled on Air Force One with Trump.
Some University of Tennessee students had plotted on X to boo Trump at the game, and videos showed several fans laughing at the reaction.
Fans had been warned before the game that security would be tight for the president’s attendance, and were urged to come extra early to go through “TSA-style screening” carried out by the Secret Service, WVLT reported.
