Over the past several weeks, United States President Donald Trump has been on the road throughout the country as he attempts to rally support for Republicans ahead of the midterm elections. That push has taken Trump to many high-profile sporting events as he looks to get in front of as many voters as possible, and now he’s taken an NFL coaching legend to one of his rallies.
On Saturday, NFL coaching legend Jon Gruden was in attendance at a Trump rally in Vandalia, Ohio, as he and the President helped drum up support for Sen. Jon Husted in his race against Democrat Sherrod Brown.
Gruden Supports Husted
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At Saturday’s rally, Gruden called back to his Ohio roots as he addressed the crowd.
“I’m from Ohio. My mom and dad are from Cleveland. I was born in Sandusky, and I went to the University of Dayton, and I’m damn proud of it, man,” Gruden [told the crowd.](https://x.com/johnnymaga/status/2106518737608139231?s=20)
Gruden went on to praise Husted, who was Gruden’s teammate at Dayton in 1985.
“Last thing I’ll say is Jon Husted is a lot more than my friend. He was a great player,” Gruden said. “He intercepted 17 passes on the gridiron. He was a great player. And I know why he’s a great player. It was because of his work ethic and his commitment and his day-to-day mental toughness. He will never quit, ever, on you or anybody. Let’s hear it for Husted.”
Gruden closed by asking everyone to get out to the polls.
“I’m going to close with this,” Gruden said. “Before you know it, this election is over. Yes, it’s over. But what we gotta do is we gotta do our part. Early voting starts Tuesday. Can we be there or not? Let’s be there. And I know you guys got a lot more friends than I do. Get your friends and get their friends and their friends and let’s get Husted back in action. Let’s go. Right there. Let’s go.”
Jon Gruden Controversy
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Gruden has been in the midst of controversy over the past few years as he resigned as head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders in 2021 after reports surfaced of racist, misogynistic, and homophobic language in emails he sent years earlier. He walked away from a 10-year, $100 million contract, and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers briefly pulled him from their Ring of Honor.
He’s since sued the NFL, alleging the league leaked the emails to force him out in a legal battle that is still ongoing.
Meanwhile, he’s worked his way back into the public eye. He’s become a Barstool Sports personality, was restored to the Bucs’ Ring of Honor, and has said he still hopes to coach again.
Part of Trump’s Strategy
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Ever since Trump took office, he has been quite visible at sporting events throughout the country, and that’s only ramped up as the midterm elections have drawn near. As it turns out, this is an intentional part of Trump’s strategy that he used going back to the 2024 presidential election.
Back in 2023, Jill Colvin of the Associated Press reported that Trump’s decision to attend these sporting events has been a strategic move to appeal to voters who might not be all that interested in politics.
“It’s a strategy that, aides say, puts him in front of potential voters who may not closely follow politics or engage with traditional news sources,” Colvin wrote for the [Associated Press](https://apnews.com/article/trump-sports-mma-football-ufc-0ca14d844df1e3b81f6c791ba517571f) back in 2023 after Trump’s decision to attend a UFC event. “And it is part of a broader effort to expand Trump’s appeal with young people and minority voters, particularly Latino and Black men, that the campaign hopes to win over in greater numbers after gains in 2020. UFC’s fanbase in particular is overwhelmingly male.”
Gruden publicly praised Gruden last year after paying a round of golf with the former coach, calling him “a really nice guy.”