Donald Trump’s appearance on The Pat McAfee Show is exactly what ESPN needs, according to Jason Whitlock and his guest, former ESPN host Sage Steele.
As part of Veterans Day celebrations, McAfee invited U.S. President Donald Trump on his show for a casual chat that covered football and a bit of everything else.
On his Fearless podcast Tuesday, Whitlock and Steele discussed how the network could actually benefit from the moment — even if some inside ESPN weren’t thrilled about it.
“Obviously, ESPN needs Donald Trump more than Trump needs ESPN,” said Whitlock.
Steele agreed, adding, “They don’t like it, but they know they have no choice, and it’s McAfee, and if their complaining gets out, McAfee will crush them publicly, too.”
She continued, “So the people who disagree are probably like, ‘let’s just keep it in our tight little circle… just complain quietly within us,’ because if McAfee gets a hold of that and names, you think he’s going to hold back? He owns the place right now.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oobRDdkxQns&t=600s
Whitlock also noted that McAfee now holds more influence at ESPN than even Stephen A. Smith — which, in his view, explains how McAfee landed the sitting president for a quick phone appearance.
NFL wide receiver performs the Donald Trump Dance to celebrate touchdown
With President Trump in attendance at Sunday’s Detroit Lions–Washington Commanders game, wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown made headlines of his own after celebrating a touchdown with what fans dubbed the “Trump Dance.”
While the moment got plenty of laughs online, it also drew criticism — prompting St. Brown to clear the air afterward.
“If I offended anyone, I do apologize. I did not mean to offend anyone. It was just, we’re having fun. If any president was at that game, if they had a dance, I would have done it. It had nothing to do with who the president was,” St. Brown said.
Amon-Ra St. Brown apologized for his Trump Dance celebration from Sunday:
“If I offended anyone, I do apologize. I did not mean to offend anyone. It was just, we’re having fun. If any President was at that game, if they had a dance, I would have done it.
(via @StBrownPodcast) pic.twitter.com/HnRSZz4x8A
— Football Forever (@fballforeverhq) November 12, 2025
He added, “Even after the game, I found out, someone told me that was the first game that a president has been to in over 40 years, the first regular season game, which is crazy. We were just having fun, doing the dance, nothing more, nothing less.”
According to Fox News, Sunday’s Lions–Commanders matchup marked the first time a sitting president attended a regular-season NFL game since Jimmy Carter in 1978.
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