COLUMN: Dread Over Possible Trump Visit At Georgia Game Unites Many In Tuscaloosa

*This is an opinion column*

TUSCALOOSA, AL — Many will remember well the chaos of that cold November evening in 2019.

For some Alabama football fans, the spotlight placed on the visit by President Donald Trump that day is likely what will come to mind as opposed to those in the Tide faithful reflecting on a heartbreaking 46-41 loss to LSU — the eventual national champion.

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According to Ken Roberts of the Tuscaloosa News, it was the first and only time a sitting president attended an Alabama home football game as Trump and the First Lady occupied a posh suite in Bryant-Denny Stadium with other Republican heavy hitters.

Despite the excitement around that 2019 matchup of loaded SEC powers vying for supremacy, only a personality like Donald Trump could draw the focus away from the action on the field, if only for a few moments.

Everything from tailgating to foot traffic was impacted in the periphery of the stadium to accommodate for the presidential visit.

Dense bottlenecks of frustrated humanity also formed at numerous security checkpoints that chapped the otherwise jovial moods of many of all political stripes who were trying to attend only the biggest damn game of the year.

Nevertheless, the 2019 visit was expectedly well-received by a raucous evening crowd inside Bryant-Denny Stadium that chanted "USA, USA, USA" when Trump was introduced and waved to those in the crowd.

Outside of the stadium, however, the mood was markedly different and hasn't been quite the same ever since if you care enough to pay attention.

There were street grifters peddling black-market political memorabilia — a common theme I also saw at Trump's 2021 rally in Cullman — isolated pockets of protests and just an overall feeling of division and dread spurred by the politics on display within Tuscaloosa's most sacred institution.

This visit also seemed to open the door in Tuscaloosa for out-of-town, bad-faith actors to descend on our city streets to make a quick buck or gin up online attention.

I'm reminded of walking with my family on The Strip the morning of the Tennessee game in October 2021 and coming up on a crowd that had gathered around to listen to a frothing man screaming "Let's Go Brandon!" on the front stoop of Buffalo Phil's on University Boulevard.

Like everyone else and at the suggestion of those with me, I took out my phone to video the goofy spectacle, more for laughs than anything else, before it culminated in the man looking directly at me and my eight-year-old child and hollering "F*ck Joe Biden."

The man's smirk that followed showed he was quite pleased with himself while at the same time being completely oblivious to the fact that just about everybody around was laughing at him.

My video of that weird performance went on to receive more than 46,000 likes on TikTok and, in hindsight, I can't help but regret that short clip becoming how so many viewed us outside of our great city.

But after the sun went down and we began making our way back to the overpriced lot where we were parked, a street vendor wearing an orange wig sewn into a visor approached my family as he sold shirts featuring doctored photos of President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris.

It sticks with me to this day how our little girl blushed with embarrassment at the sight of the strange huckster as he approached us and waved around a cheap T-shirt that read "Joe & The Hoe."

Politics wholly aside, this is not the Tuscaloosa where I grew up but it's a weird nuance we are left with no choice but to try and reckon with in such a toxic political climate. I'm sure you've seen these characters or others like them on our city sidewalks and I'm sure they'll crawl out from under their rocks again on Sept. 28 whether Trump makes an appearance or not.

Still, the overwhelming support in Tuscaloosa for the conservative firebrand at the 2019 LSU game came as little surprise when considering Trump won Alabama by a landslide in his successful 2016 bid with 62.08% of the vote before slightly underperforming with 62.03% when he later lost the White House to Democrat Joe Biden in 2020.

But let's fast-forward almost five years after that 2019 visit, with Tuscaloosa Patch reporting on Monday that a conservative pundit with a massive social media presence teased the possibility that Trump was considering attending Alabama's highly anticipated Sept. 28 matchup against Georgia in Tuscaloosa.

Alabama Republican Party Chair John Wahl also told AL.com's Carol Robinson on Monday that he was "aware that Donald Trump was looking into the possibilities of attending the Alabama-Georgia game. ... “The people of Alabama and Donald Trump have a special relationship and we are always thrilled when he has a chance to visit our state. That being said, I’m not directly involved with the planning or the coordination and I don’t know if this most recent assassination attempt would have any effect on his possible visit.”

Indeed, when looking at what could set Trump's 2019 visit apart from the possibility of attending the Georgia game later this month, the best place to start can be found in the latest threats to the former president's life, which are sure to result in even more draconian security measures in and around Bryant-Denny Stadium.

This will no doubt be executed with a healthy degree of caginess from officials on the ground here who seem to be mostly in the dark about the situation as I write this column.

To that end, I spent a large part of my afternoon and evening on Monday trying to confirm what I could after the news broke of Trump's potential visit. This was a challenge almost immediately as sources close to the situation for the City of Tuscaloosa and the University of Alabama said they, to the best of their knowledge, had not been contacted directly about the high-profile visit by the Trump camp.

This doesn't mean local officials have not been contacted but I find it odd that my dependable in-the-know sources know very little despite normally being cut in on all of the major events in our city and on the UA campus.

It's also worth noting that sources inside City Hall told me that city leaders were made aware of a "rumor" going back six weeks or so that the former president was considering attending the Georgia game and have been laboring under the assumption that Trump might visit.

At this point, it appears that only Donald Trump knows for sure if he's coming to Tuscaloosa and I can't help but wonder if his potential plans were leaked in advance to serve as a barometer for what kind of reception he is likely to receive if he attends the game and appears on television before a massive national audience.

But why is he even considering such a stunt?

The working theory posed by several qualified sources speaking to me on background is a simple one — Trump wants those scores of Georgia eyeballs fixed on him when they tune into a game both fan bases have had circled on their calendars since the 2024 schedule was announced.

It's Donald Trump, after all, who can just about be expected to put on the biggest spectacle possible and who wasn't likely going to come to town for the Crimson Tide's matchup with Mercer, another Georgia university, in November following the presidential election.

What political utility could that offer?

For the politically uninterested, it must also be mentioned that Georgia is once again a crucial toss-up state that has the potential to sway the outcome of the 2024 presidential election for the candidate who can win the Peach State.

Unlike the last two presidential elections, Trump has more of an uphill climb than ever to secure Georgia following his widely publicized attempts at intimidating state election officials when it became clear that his bid for a second term was lost late in 2020.

He has also been a harsh critic of popular Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp — a lifelong Republican and one-time vocal supporter of Trump who has since fallen out of favor with the former president.

Like so many in Trump's orbit, Kemp eventually outlived his usefulness to the movement and will now likely be viewed by the MAGA faithful as an enemy for life.

Trump's ire concerning "Little Brian Kemp" — he's actually about 6'1" — and the Republican governor's lack of blind loyalty boiled over in August at a rally in Atlanta where the former president referred to Georgia's top Republican as “a bad guy. He’s a disloyal guy. And he’s a very average governor.”

With this vitriolic history in mind coupled with the upcoming election in November, the most logical reason for Trump visiting Tuscaloosa isn't his love for the Crimson Tide or even the state of Alabama, which he will no doubt win with a third consecutive landslide.

Rather, Trump is sure to have Georgia on his mind as he smiles and waves to the capacity crowd.

This brings me to my final point — one that I'll insist is the most relevant for a community-level journalist like your narrator. It's completely devoid of partisan politics and much more grounded in practicality for those of us who call Tuscaloosa County home.

Indeed, perhaps the most surprising thing I noticed in the 24 hours since the news broke is a kind of bipartisan sense of dread expressed by many of my dedicated readers. ... but maybe not for the reasons you might expect in this divisive political climate.

This is in no way an indication of the overall mood in the deeply conservative city heading into the 2024 presidential election or of how things will go if Trump does visit Tuscaloosa. And it should be noted that my audience, especially on Facebook, skews roughly 65-70% conservative and I'm beyond thankful for every last one of them, even if our politics differ wildly.

But what stood out in the scores of comments and feedback I received wasn't anger over the political nature of the visit so much as the guaranteed logistical nightmare that it will present on what promises to be the busiest day of the year for our city and its services.

For instance, a few readers told me they fully intended to vote for Trump in November but wished he would stay away from Bryant-Denny Stadium on such a pivotal day for the Alabama football program and first-year head coach Kalen DeBoer.

Others insisted that additional traffic issues and security measures will likely put even more of a damper on the day for fans and visitors, alike — regardless if its source of origin is Donald Trump or the King of England.

Here are just a few of the more relevant comments, some of which are edited only for accuracy and clarity as needed:

'That means the Secret Service will be all over Northport and Tuscaloosa all week prior. Town is gonna be BUSY!'

'Not great news … traffic is already a nightmare and it will only be made worse by his visit … it’s a football game … NOT a political rally!!!!'

'Ooof busiest day of the year for traffic and he's coming? Way to muck it up.'

'I think it has more to do with the extra hassle that people are anticipating for a big game. I was at a conference where he spoke a few weeks ago, right after the first shooting. The security was a huge hassle!'

'I’m conservative but kind of ignore politics as much as possible. My reasoning for not wanting him here is strictly [because] I want my game day without the circus and having to go to the stadium two hours early. Security may be even more intense than normal due to recent events.'

'I'm flying in from across the country to go to that game with my husband and [12-year-old] son. The last thing we want is Trump there. Logistically it’s going to make attending a nightmare and take away from the game. All for his little photo ops. He doesn’t give a cr*p about the game.'

'I was at the 2019 game when he came. The extra security and hassle that day was awful just so he could wave from a box and leave at the half. It was cool he came but nobody was there for him. I'd imagine most people just wanna enjoy the game and ignore politics for a few hours.'

Seeing these comments and many others gave me a small degree of hope that there is still plenty that unites us as Americans — a welcoming stadium atmosphere; a hatred of traffic congestion and long lines; and to quote retired Alabama coach Nick Saban: "Keeping the Main Thing the Main Thing" as it relates to our shared love of Crimson Tide football.

My hope as a lifelong Tuscaloosa native and University of Alabama alum is that the focus will remain squarely on enjoying the moment and such an important game, regardless of who is in attendance. While I'm not a fan of politicians of any bent using athletic events as cheap campaign stops, they are certainly free to do so and it's imperative that we don't let the added stressors from such a visit negatively impact what should be one of the most exciting days in recent memory for Tuscaloosa.

But even I'm not without bias, which I'll gladly acknowledge by evoking the iconic words of the late Tommy Lewis — an Alabama fullback who jumped off the sidelines for an illegal tackle of a Rice University running back during the 1954 Cotton Bowl Classic.

When asked later by reporters why he did it, Lewis said he"was just too full of Alabama."

It's a phrase that truly encapsulates my deep-seated priorities.

The late Harvey Updyke, who achieved infamy for poisoning the trees at Toomer's Corner in Auburn, also adopted this mantra by saying he "had too much 'Bama" in him.

And, in a way, I don't guess I'm too much different from these notable Gumps when considering how important that game against Georgia later this month will be to me.

So I'm left no choice but to agree with a beloved childhood friend who expressed his justified sense of dread after the news broke on Monday:

"Nooo! Last time he showed up we lost!"

Ryan Phillips is an award-winning journalist, editor and opinion columnist. He is also the founder and field editor of Tuscaloosa Patch. The views expressed in this column are his own and in no way a reflection of our parent company or sponsors. Contact him at ryan.phillips@patch.com