Donald Trump was not able to escape his unpopularity on Monday as tens of thousands of fans showered him with boos as he arrived at the college football national championship game in Atlanta.
Video of the scene out of Mercedes-Benz Stadium:
They locked down @MBStadium for @realDonaldTrump an hour ago and myself and a thousand fans have been waiting in the rain to get in. Let’s just say there were plenty of boos when Trump arrived pic.twitter.com/6XIr8YO5gO
— Andy Scholes (@AndyScholesCNN) January 8, 2018
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As Business Insider noted, “Fans were waiting outside for an extended period as multiple entrances were shut down to accommodate Trump’s arrival, leaving many seats empty as the game came closer and closer to kickoff.”
This image, tweeted by CBS’ Jerry Palm, shows thousands of seats left empty just 15 minutes before kickoff due to security measures that were taken to accommodate the president.
Less than 15 minutes to kickoff and there are many more empty $2000+ seats than full ones pic.twitter.com/BOcb4KZkmj
— Jerry Palm (@jppalmCBS) January 9, 2018
Prior to the game, Alabama Crimson Tide running back Bo Scarbrough was caught on camera expressing his displeasure with the president (WARNING: Strong language):
Alabama RB Bo Scarbrough yells “F— Trump†before tonight’s title game. pic.twitter.com/RhuhRyNFHh
— Sporting News (@sportingnews) January 9, 2018
Business Insider noted that when Trump entered the stadium for the national anthem, he got a “slightly warmer” reception, but it was still a “mix of boos and cheers.”
As PoliticusUSA’s Sarah Jones tweeted a short time ago, citing White House reporter Josh Dawsey, it wasn’t even clear that Trump knew the words to the national anthem:
“the president mouthed what appeared to be some of the words of the national anthem and didn’t mouth others,” @jdawsey1 WH pool report & pic pic.twitter.com/6rdWHuB9ym
— Sarah Reese Jones (@PoliticusSarah) January 9, 2018
Ultimately, it should be no surprise that the people of Atlanta weren’t all that thrilled to see the president. As CNN pointed out on Monday, just after his inauguration last year when he was feuding with Rep. John Lewis, Trump called Atlanta “crime infested” and said the city is “in horrible shape” and “falling apart.”
A year later, folks in Georgia’s capital haven’t forgotten – and the way the president previously described Atlanta is a more appropriate description of his crumbling and corrupt administration.
Sean Colarossi currently resides in Cleveland, Ohio. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and was an organizing fellow for both of President Obama’s presidential campaigns. He also worked with Planned Parenthood as an Affordable Care Act Outreach Organizer in 2014, helping northeast Ohio residents obtain health insurance coverage.
