Bill Belichick Interviews Donald Trump On Eve Of U.S. Election
It’s been a wild ride for Bill Belichick’s media career, and it took an eye-popping direction this week.
On the eve of the United States presidential election, Belichick sat down for an interview with former president Donald Trump on his “Let’s Go” podcast with Jim Gray. The conversation was recorded Sunday and released Monday night.
“I have a lot of respect for the man we have on the phone, the coach,” Trump said of Belichick, per Boston.com’s Hayden Bird. “I think he’s a great coach and a guy.”
The teaser promised Belichick and Trump would discuss “topics that matter to sports fans.” They discussed sports betting, the impact of NIL, the new kickoff rule, Caitlin Clark and the gender pay gap. Trump claimed he could get a deal done to complete the PGA Tour-LIV Golf merger.
There were political conversations near the end of the interview. Belichick asked Trump how sports could help bring the country together the day after the election. The former president incorrectly claimed he led all seven swing states before Tuesday; polling consistently showed little consensus between vice president Kamala Harris and Trump.
“This is more exciting — I hate to say it, coach — but this is more exciting than any football game,” Trump said of the election.
Belichick was vocal about his support for Trump when he sent the 78-year-old a letter before the 2016 presidential election. Belichick declined to receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom from Trump after “the tragic events” of Jan. 6, 2021, when supporters of Trump stormed the U.S. Capitol, resulting in multiple deaths.
The former New England Patriots head coach maintained his support for Trump wasn’t political. However, former players in “The Dynasty” docuseries admitted they were “bamboozled” by the Trump letter. Robert Kraft and Tom Brady publicly distanced themselves from the former president in recent years.