President Donald Trump's White House bristled at the suggestion that the president is wasting his time by inviting ex-NFL players to go on his midterm tour, according to a new report.
Axios reported Monday that Trump plans to invite former professional football players Johnny Manziel and Colt McCoy, along with two-time Super Bowl champion Danny Amendola, to appear alongside him in Texas as Republicans seek to retain the Senate seat being vacated by Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX). Manziel and McCoy both had brief NFL careers and are better known for their accomplishments on the NCAA gridiron. Amdendola played 13 seasons with seven NFL franchises, and his last stop was with the Houston Texans in 2021.
One of Trump's advisers defended the effort, even though some analysts have suggested it may be too close to the midterms for the stunt to matter.
"Trump has many bases. And football is one of them, college and pros," the adviser told Axios. "The response is good. And the president loves the atmosphere. So why not?"
Trump promised to stump for Republicans for the last 30 days leading up to the midterms despite the president having one of the worst approval ratings in modern presidential history. Some Republicans have responded by deleting mentions of Trump from their campaign websites.