Trump praises Ohio State Buckeyes during football title ceremony at White House
President Donald Trump stood at the podium on the White House lawn on Monday afternoon with a squad of Ohio State Buckeyes football players behind him to celebrate their national championship victory during the 2024 season.
The 47th president began his remarks by remembering how special Jan. 20 was for everyone on the stage — the Buckeyes beat the Notre Dame Fighting Irish hours after Trump completed his inauguration in our nation's capital.
"Turns out Jan. 20 was a big day for all of us. It's true. That was a big day. I love that day. I'll never forget that day," Trump said.
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Trump recognized all those in attendance, including former Buckeyes head coach and current Lt. Gov. of Ohio Jim Tressel as well as other Ohio delegates.
Before calling out specific praise for head coach Ryan Day and several of his players, Trump made sure to mention the history that comes with the national championship trophy, which sat on a table next to a Buckeyes helmet and jersey while he made his speech.
"This was a historic year in college football," Trump said. "Standing together today, these men are the first college football players in history who can proudly call themselves 12-team playoff champions. That’s not easy. You’re the first ones."
It certainly wasn't easy for the Buckeyes, especially after suffering some tough losses during the regular season, which Trump brought up. They fell to Oregon, a College Football Playoff team, and Michigan, a team they were expected to beat on their home turf, but couldn't get its offense going.
"I shouldn’t say this. I actually said, ‘Should I leave this line out?’ And they said, ‘Sir, they want to hear the whole thing,'" Trump said. "The bad and the good, right? But many people counted you out after the losses against Oregon, which is a great team, and that Team Up North — we won’t talk about it. But you refused to let Buckeyes Nation down. You got better and better, and tougher and tougher as the season went along.
"After a very strong regular season, but with adversity, you held a closed-door, players-only meeting. This extraordinary group rallied together for a single glorious vision: to win four straight playoff games against the finest teams in college football. You were able to do it, obviously."
Trump went on to praise the work of quarterback Will Howard, his offensive line, running backs Quinshon Judkins and TreVeyon Henderson, receivers Emeka Egbuka and Jeremiah Smith, and more throughout his speech. He made sure to shake everyone's hand along the way as he explained their accomplishments.
Vice President JD Vance, an Ohio State alum, said he was "so proud" to be with his Buckeyes on the White House lawn to celebrate a championship, which he's still waiting for Sen. Ted Cruz to pay up on.
Vance said he and Cruz, a Texas Longhorns supporter, made a wager on their teams facing off to earn a spot in the national title game.
And while it was all about the Buckeyes on Monday, Trump made sure to remind everyone on the lawn, and those watching at home, how much he loves Ohio, especially after winning the state "by a landslide" during the presidential election in November 2024.
"The great state of Ohio. I love that state," he said. "We won that state in a landslide! I love Ohio! We'll never let you down. I swear, I promise."
To close the ceremony, Day brought up his team captains — Egbuka, Jack Sawyer and Cody Smith — to present Trump with a custom Buckeyes jersey with his name and the number 47 on the back.
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