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Jaxson Dart on Trump rally appearance, fallout with Giants teammates
USA Today - News / VideoElephant
New York Giants quarterbark Jaxson Dart has found himself caught up in the political arena and all the controversy that can come with that in recent weeks, after he appeared at a rally held by US president Donald Trump in Suffern, New York on May 22.
Allow us to get you up to speed…
What did Dart say about Trump?
“What an honour, what a privilege it is to be here. And without further ado, I’m grateful, I am honoured, I am pleasured to introduce the 45th and 47th president of the United States of America, President Donald J. Trump.”
After taking to the lectern, Trump thanked Dart for his introduction and said: “This is going to be a future Hall of Famer, in my book … A lot of talent.”
In an interview with daughter-in-law Lara Trump for Fox News on Friday, the president claimed Dart told him, “I love you sir”.
What did social media make of it?
X/Twitter users expressed disappointment at Dart affiliating himself with the controversial politician, with commentator Molly Ploofkins branding it a “dumb move”:
“Where are the shut up and just play football people,” asked editor and reporter Mike Freeman:
And another account tweeted: “They tell Black athletes to ‘Keep politics out of sports’ and ‘Shut up and Dribble’ while they’re always political”:
How did Dart respond to the controversy?
On Friday, Dart held a press conference in which he acknowledged there were “probably going to be questions that involve off-the-field topics”.
He said: “Obviously 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 that I’ve always loved this country.
“The president position has always been a position that I’ve long respected, regardless of political affiliation, regardless of political party. My intentions were just that.”
In response to questions from reporters afterwards about his introducing the president, Dart continued to refer back to his statement.
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