Donald Trump, speaking on local radio ahead of a massive football stadium rally in Alabama on Friday, declined to take sides on the state’s Alabama-Auburn college football rivalry but said Alabama coach Nick Saban has done a “phenomenal” job.
Asked by host Matt Murphy on 1070 WAPI about the state’s annual Iron Bowl meeting of the two teams, Trump said: “I’m a fan. Two great coaches. Two great teams.”
“I’m not going to go either way because I have to go there tonight and I know the passion for both teams, but it sounds like Alabama is going to have a brutal team,” Trump added.
Speaking of Saban, who has led Alabama to three recent national championships, Trump said: “The job Alabama has done, your coach at Alabama, it’s been phenomenal.”
“But Auburn does well against Alabama,” Trump added. “I watched a couple of those games, that Alabama was supposed to win.”
“Especially the one game,” Trump said of the 2013 Iron Bowl, where Auburn defeated Alabama in the final seconds of the game by returning a short field goal to their end-zone for a touchdown. “That was one of the craziest things I’ve ever seen, right?”
Trump, who says more than 30,000 people might show up for his football field rally in Mobile, Ala. on Friday evening, said “we’re going to have a good time tonight.”