Trump reacts to Giants hiring John Harbaugh as head coach after endorsement
President Donald Trump said the New York Giants got a "great coach" in John Harbaugh on Monday night as he was leaving the college football national championship.
Trump had urged the Giants to hire Harbaugh while the former Baltimore Ravens head coach was interviewing with the team. Days later, the Giants made it official and agreed to a deal with him. Harbaugh reportedly signed a five-year deal with the franchise.
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Trump told reporters on the tarmac before heading back to Washington that he wasn’t sure if he had any influence over the move but knew what Harbaugh was capable of.
"But they got a great coach," Trump said. "I like the coach. I like his brother. They came up to see me about three months ago. They came up to see me in the White House with their mother and father because the mother likes me, and the father likes me and I think they like me.
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"And he’s a great coach and he’s gonna do well with the Giants, just like his brother does so well. They got something very special in their blood. And I’m happy for the Giants. They got a great coach."
Trump first endorsed Harbaugh in a post on Truth Social, and then later specifically endorsed the idea of the Giants hiring him.
"The New York Football Giants should hire, without question, John Harbaugh – And John, a great guy, should TAKE THE JOB!!!" he wrote earlier this month.
John and Jim Harbaugh and their families met with Trump at the White House over the summer. The meeting led Harbaugh to defend himself after a reporter framed a question on the visit around Trump's previous comments criticizing Baltimore as a city.
"How you framed that question — I would have framed that question like: ‘You got a chance to go visit with the president, man. What was that experience like?’" Harbaugh said at the time. "It was amazing. It was awesome. And I promise you I root for our president. I want our president to be successful just like I want my quarterback to be successful, and I want my team to be successful, and it was an amazing experience. It's not often you get invited, and you get a chance to do something like that as a family."
Jim Harbaugh echoed his brother’s sentiments.
"There’s a lot of gratitude there to be invited to the White House to meet the president with my family, my mom and dad. President Trump was just great to my mom and dad. That meant so much. My brother John; his daughter Allison; my two daughters, Addie and Katie; and my sister Joanie; and my niece Ainsley. So, there’s nine of us, and it was great."
The Ravens made the playoffs 12 times with Harbaugh in charge and won the Super Bowl in the 2012 season, a year after the Giants’ most recent championship.
Fox News’ Jackson Thompson contributed to this report.
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