From John F. Kennedy to Donald Trump, Alabama football is where Presidents and pigskin collide. For instance, Kennedy was the first President to catch a Crimson Tide game back in ’63, when they smoked Oklahoma 17-0 in the Orange Bowl. And Trump? He’s still kicking himself for missing Tua Tagovailoa’s crazy comeback against Georgia in the 2018 Natty. Now, with Trump heading back to the Oval, he was down in Tuscaloosa this May 1st for a gig. That’s when Nick Saban dropped this hilarious story about the Tide and Trump. The push the red button story. Then, when Trump took the mic, he flipped the script and hit Saban with this surprise request, leaving the ex-Alabama head coach in a pretty awkward spot.

The 2025 season is yet to pull up the curtains. But for the Alabama fans, they do not have to wait for it, as their offseason looks equally eventful. The University of Alabama had made a press release confirming that Saban would join Trump on May 1 for the UA commencement ceremony at the Coleman Coliseum on the Alabama campus. So, when those two were set to share the stage, things got interesting. Even though Trump crushed it in Alabama with 64% of the vote in 2024, and he’s thrown tons of his big rallies there, Saban decided to skip the politics and just tell us a funny story from Trump’s White House days. 

It was in 2017. Saban and his boys had just brought home the Natty, after which they paid a visit to the White House in 2018. Trump was the first president to invite Saban and the Crimson Tide into the Oval Office. So, the then-Alabama head coach took three captains with him, hardly realizing that they would make a lifetime memory. So why not share the story with the bigger Crimson Tide fam?

Saban started his speech with, “And before I introduce President Trump, I have to tell you a story.” He then delved into what exactly happened, part by part. “So I take the three captains in the Oval Office, and president is really nice to everybody, and he’s got this very big, good looking, auspicious box on his desk that has a red button on top.”

The players too, were new to the White House; their excitement and inquisitiveness were hitting the roof. Saban continued, “And one of the players said, ‘Is that what you launch the missiles with?’” Little did they realize that the President is such a fun person to be around.

Then came Trump’s reply as Saban quoted, “And he said, ‘Well, push it and find out.’ Player said, ‘Nah, I don’t want to do that.’ He said, ‘Oh, go ahead. Go ahead. Go ahead. Push it. See what happens. Find out.’” The ending of the story left the crowd present at the Coleman Coliseum in splits. Saban came to the climax of the story: “So Rashaan Evans finally got the guts up, went over, pushed the red button. Some lady came in with a coke on a tray.”  Woah, totally unexpected! Just as Trump’s speech that followed. 

Nick Saban’s legacy echoes through Donald Trump’s speech

When there is Trump on stage, the audience is bound to be left on the edge of their seats. Just a day before arriving in Tuscaloosa, the President ended up endorsing sports television personality Stephen A. Smith as a future presidential candidate. Smith has signed a new five-year, $100 million contract with ESPN, where he continues to flirt with politics. So, this did not go unnoticed by Trump. “You know, a lot of these Democrats I watch, I say they have no chance. I’ve been pretty good at picking people and picking candidates, and I will tell you I’d love to see him [Smith] run,” shared the President.

He maintained the streak of making surprising statements in Alabama, too. This time, Saban became the main character. “There are things that happen in life that are important, and you remember where you were when it happened. As a student at Alabama, you’ll always remember where you were when your head coach, Nick Saban, retired,” Trump said, addressing the 2025 class. That was not the end.

He wrapped it up with a request for the Alabama fam. “Remember that? Because he’s done such a fantastic job. What a great job, let’s bring him back. No, you have a great coach now though.”

It has been over a year since Nick Saban retired from coaching on January 10, 2024. He truly has been a messiah. After all, it was the GOAT who ended the National Championship drought since 1992. During his tenure, Saban gifted Alabama with six national championships across 17 seasons. Even though Kalen DeBoer is doing his best to follow the GOAT, that 9-4 season—Bama’s first under 10 wins since 2007—definitely stung for fans. But the Saban x Trump meet came up with more benefits….

As per the reports, the 47th President could influence amateur athlete pay-for-play (NIL) in one of several directions this year. If this is how the Tide rolls in the offseason, expect the season to be a blockbuster.