President Donald Trump put the New York Giants in the same breath as two other contenders when he was asked to name teams he’s watching ahead of the 2026 NFL season. Speaking with Fox Sports’ Laura Rutledge at the Patriot Games, Trump named the New England Patriots and Los Angeles Rams as squads he likes — but he saved his most specific praise for Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart.
“I’ll pick a few. I think New England looks good. The Giants, I like their quarterback a lot,” Trump said, according to Yahoo Sports. “They say the LA Rams are looking very strong, but I better not get into this too much. I’m gonna get myself in trouble if I do.”
NFL insider Dov Kleiman posted video of the exchange on X: “President Donald Trump says that the Patriots, Giants, or Rams will win the Super Bowl this season.”
𝗧𝗥𝗘𝗡𝗗𝗜𝗡𝗚: President Donald Trump says that the Patriots, Giants, or Rams will win the Super Bowl this season.
"New England looks good. The Giants, I like their Quarter Back a LOT [Jaxson Dart]. They say the LA Rams are looking very strong."
👀👀👀 pic.twitter.com/It8haxkT3c
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) August 12, 2026
A Relationship That Started at a May Rally
Trump’s comments extend a public rapport with Dart that dates back to May, when the second-year quarterback introduced the president at a rally in Suffern, New York. The appearance drew instant attention. Trump called Dart a “future Hall of Famer” from the podium, then veered into an unrelated riff about the quarterback’s build during a tangent on trans athletes in sports, according to HuffPost.
The introduction didn’t sit well with everyone in the Giants locker room. Teammate Abdul Carter posted on X that he “thought this s— was AI” — a post later deleted — and the pushback was significant enough that the team called a meeting to work through it, according to ESPN. Veterans Brian Burns, Kayvon Thibodeaux and Jameis Winston all spoke during that session as the Giants tried to move past the controversy before it became a season-long distraction.
Both players later said they’d worked things out. “I know Jaxson is a good dude,” Carter told reporters, per The Hill, while Dart said he wanted to “move past this” and keep the details of the team’s internal conversations private. Head coach John Harbaugh called the episode a chance for players to learn how to navigate disagreement, saying it ultimately “made us better.”
Dart Heads Into Year Two as the Unquestioned Starter
None of the offseason noise has slowed down New York’s plans at quarterback. Dart is entering his second season and his first as the Giants’ clear No. 1, after a rookie year that included a nine-game losing streak snapped by a 34-10 win over the Raiders to close 2025. He finished that game with 207 passing yards and two rushing touchdowns.
Speculation briefly surfaced that the Giants could look at drafting another quarterback if they landed a high pick, with NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reporting the team would “evaluate all options.” Dart brushed it off. “I’m going to continue to play my ball. I know I’m going to be here for a very long time,” he said at the time.
Trump’s rally comments and Dart’s own confidence point to the same expectation from different directions: the Giants are building around him, not looking past him.
Giants’ Path Back Into Contention
New York is trying to bounce back from a 4-13 finish in 2025. The preseason schedule gives Harbaugh three tune-up games before the games count.
| Preseason Week | Opponent | Date | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Minnesota Vikings | Sat., Aug. 15 | Home |
| Week 2 | Miami Dolphins | Sat., Aug. 22 | Away |
| Week 3 | New York Jets | Fri., Aug. 28 | Away |
The regular season opens Sunday, Sept. 13, against the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday Night Football at MetLife Stadium — the first of back-to-back primetime games to start Harbaugh’s tenure, with a Week 2 Monday night trip to face the Rams in Los Angeles.
Whether Trump’s endorsement means anything on the field is a separate question from whether it says something about Dart’s growing profile. Either way, the quarterback who spent May explaining a rally appearance to his own locker room spent this week getting name-checked by the president as a Super Bowl difference-maker.
