Trump has certainly expressed his desire for the Big Ten to play football this fallGETTY IMAGES
President Trump yesterday took partial credit for helping the Big Ten return to football, but that "doesn't exactly comport with the facts," according to Dan Wolken of USA TODAY. Though Big Ten Commissioner Kevin Warren and Trump "absolutely spoke, and Trump certainly expressed his desire for the Big Ten to play football this fall during that conversation, there's no evidence that the White House took any other tangible action to make the season happen." The conference "never went any further than Warren's phone call on trying to get hooked up by the federal government." A source said that the Big Ten "never requested or accepted any resources from the White House." Instead, conference officials "directed credit toward its medical advisory board for putting together a plan that the Big Ten presidents were comfortable with and were able to secure enough daily antigen tests by other means." The White House yesterday "touted Trump's interest in whether college football would happen going all the way back to early August when it became clear that some leagues might sit out the fall." Now, Trump is "going to take a political victory lap at their expense" (USA TODAY, 9/17).
NO SLOWING DOWN: In Pennsylvania, Ron Southwick wonders, "Could the return of Big Ten football help Trump's re-election chances in a tough battle against Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden?" Big Ten games "will resume the weekend of Oct. 23-24, less than two weeks before the election." Muhlenberg College political science professor and poll director Christopher Borick said that Trump "may benefit from the Big Ten's new football season, even if only a little" (PENNLIVE.com, 9/17).
ATTENTION SHIFTS TO PAC-12: ESPN.com's Kyle Bonagura noted Trump yesterday "urged the Pac-12 to 'get going' with its football season." Trump said, "I want to recommend that the Pac-12 also get going because there's no reason why Pac-12 shouldn't be playing now. Pac-12, you're the only one now. Open up. Open up, Pac-12. Get going" (ESPN.com, 9/16). POLITICO's Juan Perez Jr. wrote under the header, "Pac-12 Football Gains Ground, With Push From Trump And Democratic Governors" (9/16).
