Alabama head coach said that President Donald Trumps visit to the Alabama-LSU game on Saturday will be “an honor.”
Trump is expected to attend the highly-anticipated matchup between the University of Alabama and Louisiana State University, the No. 1 and No. 2 teams in the country, in the Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, according to the Montgomery Advertiser.
“Well, its an honor, I think, that the president of the United States would be interested enough to come to the game,” Nick Saban said Wednesday. “Im sure well do everything we can to welcome him.”
Saban met with Trump when Alabama won the national championship in 2017 and was honored in April of last year. He was honored for championship wins four other times during the Obama administration.
“Weve been to the White House several times and its always a very, very flattering, unique experience,” Saban said. “I think if youre in Bangkok, Thailand, and you said somebody told somebody you had the opportunity to go to the White House, theyd say, Thats quite an honor. So weve always looked at that as quite an honor to go to the White House.”
LSU quarterback Joe Burrow also said its “pretty cool” to have a president watch him play.
“Regardless of your political views, its pretty cool having the president at the game,” Burrow, a 22-year-old senior, said at a press conference on Monday. “Doesnt matter if youre a Democrat or a Republican, president at the game is pretty cool.”
Meanwhile, Trumps visit to Alabama comes amid controversy over protests.
An email, issued by the Vice President of the Student Government Association, Jason Rothfarb, warned that “additional security will also be in the student section during the game.”
“Any organizations that engage in disruptive behavior during the game will be removed from block seating instantly from the remainder of the season,” it said.
Rothfarb was later forced to clarify reports that students would be punished if they protested against Trump.
