A week after New York Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart introduced President Donald Trump at a rally in New York, the president posted on Truth Social praising the football player and lashing out at Dart’s critics, calling them “jealous” and “LOSERS.”
Dart’s appearance at a May 22 rally for Representative Mike Lawler, a New York Republican facing a competitive GOP primary race, sparked online debate with players and fans. Notably, fellow New York Giants linebacker Abdul Carter responded to a video clip of Dart at the rally, writing on X, “thought this s*** was AI, what we doing man.” Although the post was later deleted, it fueled debate on social media, with users rallying behind both Dart and Carter, sparking a larger discussion about Trump, politics in sports, and sportsmanship.
Trump’s post came a day after Dart addressed the event and the backlash for the first time, with the quarterback saying, “Obviously this was a unique opportunity, being asked and given the opportunity to introduce the President of the United States…The president position has always been a position I’ve well respected regardless of political affiliation, regardless of political party and my intentions were just that.”
What to Know
Before introducing Trump to the crowd last week, Dart said: “What an honor, what a privilege it is to be here,” The quarterback also led the audience in chanting “Go Big Blue,” a traditional Giants chant. Trump praised the quarterback during his speech, calling him a “future Hall of Famer.”
In a Saturday Truth Social post, Trump shared a photo of Dart and his girlfriend, writing, “Thank you Jaxson! It was great being with you.”
The post continued, “I know you’re taking some heat from the Radical Left Lunatics who are jealous of you, me, and everyone who surrounds us but, I also know that your Jersey also went to Number One, and you’re making Millions of Dollars so, YOU ARE A WINNER — THEY ARE ALL LOSERS. I’ll see you in the White House!”
The president’s comments came a day after he sat down for a Fox News interview with his daughter-in-law, Lara Trump, during which he said the quarterback told him, “I love you, sir.”
Trump went on to describe Dart as a “handsome” and “beautiful guy,” adding, “When Jaxson gets harassed a little bit, he’s also loved more, because we have more people than they do,” referring to his MAGA supporters.
On Friday, Dart publicly addressed the media about the situation for the first time.
“Obviously, this was a unique opportunity, being asked and given the opportunity to introduce the President of the United States,” the 23-year-old said during the Friday press conference. “My thinking was pretty simple, in the fact of, I’ve always loved this country. I have extended family members who have fought in wars,” adding that he has uncles who retired from the Air Force and a great-grandfather who served as the Secretary of the Treasury.
The quarterback continued: “The president position has always been a position that I have a lot of respect in, regardless of political affiliation, regardless of political party. My intentions were just that.”
He further stated, “I also understand in this world, politics can be a sensitive matter, a sensitive topic,” adding that “I can honestly say that I love every single one of my brothers, my teammates on this team, regardless of politics, regardless of religious beliefs, regardless of anything that may be different between us. They know exactly what kind of person I am that comes into the facility every single day.”
The quarterback emphasized the strength of their connections, saying it allows them to have “real conversations.”
“We’re able to learn from each other, to support each other, irrespective of the color of our skin. And we have a real brotherhood. We’ve had a lot of honest conversations with each other, as a team, and I’d like to keep those things private between me and my teammates,” he added.
The press conference came after the team held a private meeting this week over the matter, per ESPN.
Inside the Carter-Dart Controversy
Hours after Dart introduced Trump at the rally, Carter took to X to post his surprise about the quarterback’s affiliation. He has since deleted the X post, and later wrote on X, “Me & JD6 are good! We spoke earlier as Men. Yall can keep yall narratives.” That post has also been deleted.
Following online speculation of the Giant’s locker room being “divided” over the matter, Giants offensive tackle Jermaine Eluemunor posted on X, “Locker room is fine. Focus on New England.”
On Friday, Carter also spoke to the media publicly, saying that “some things are bigger than football, and this is one of those things.”
“Jaxson is one of our leaders. He’s the face of our franchise. He not only represents himself with whatever he does, but he represents all of us,” he said.
The linebacker continued, “And that goes for anybody who wears a Giants uniform. If he chooses to align himself with a man like President Trump, it’s my responsibility, based on what I believe and what I stand on, to not only show my teammates that I’m against that, but to show the world.”
“That doesn’t mean we have to spread hate. That doesn’t mean me and Jaxson hate each other or that we have beef,” he added. After the press conference, photos and videos of the two players hugging and smiling circulated.
Carter noted he isn’t looking for an apology from Dart, saying, “I don’t want him to say he’s sorry. Stand on what you believe in, but it can’t be a problem if I stand on what I believe in. As long as we have that understanding, it’s all good.”
Giants coach John Harbaugh, who visited the White House in 2025, also spoke about the matter, saying it has “made us better.” During his Friday comments he went so far as to say, “Honestly, if I’m looking at it, I’m kind of grateful for the opportunity that we had to have the conversation.”
He continued, “If you do things the right way, you confront everything all of the time that have to do with your football team and your ability to be successful. And that was something to confront and talk about. So rather than ignore it or dictate something, let’s just talk about it. Let’s confront it, let’s decide how we’re going to do it. And they did it, and they moved on, and they had three great practices.”
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