In a notable shift from last year’s historical appearance, President Donald Trump will not be attending Super Bowl LX scheduled for 2026. His previous presence marked the first time a sitting president attended the Super Bowl, establishing a unique precedent. However, despite opting out of attending the championship game in person, Trump will maintain a media presence during the event through NBC’s comprehensive pre-game coverage.
Comcast Corporation (NASDAQ: CMCSA), holding exclusive broadcast rights for Super Bowl LX, plans to deliver extensive programming surrounding the game, including several hours of pre-game content, the championship game itself, and the halftime spectacle featuring prominent artist Bad Bunny. The matchup will showcase the Seattle Seahawks competing against the New England Patriots in Santa Clara, California.
President Trump has confirmed that he will not be present at this year’s Super Bowl. While he has not explicitly enumerated his reasons, a remark about his disapproval of the performers may indicate reservations, possibly referring to Bad Bunny’s slated halftime performance. Despite this decision, Comcast is featuring the president through an exclusive prerecorded interview conducted by NBC Nightly News anchor Tom Llamas.
This interview is strategically divided into segments: portions were broadcast earlier this week on NBC Nightly News, and additional extracts will air during the Super Bowl LX pre-game presentation. This one-on-one discussion represents Llamas’s first interview with the former president since assuming the anchor role on NBC’s evening newscast, as reported by The Hollywood Reporter.
The Super Bowl commands vast viewership, not only during the live game and halftime show but also via the pre-game coverage, which attracts a substantial audience. This televised interview with President Trump is thus positioned to reach many viewers, continuing a longstanding tradition.
Presidential interviews around Super Bowl week have historical roots. The practice began with President George W. Bush and was popularized as an annual event during President Barack Obama’s tenure, occurring each year during his two terms in office. These interviews, aired shortly before the Super Bowl, are known to be among the most-watched presidential interviews annually.
Following this pattern, President Trump upheld the tradition through a majority of his first term. Nonetheless, in 2018, he declined to participate in NBC’s pre-Super Bowl interview, citing a dispute with the network. Similarly, President Joe Biden opted out of participating in the interview during the weeks surrounding the Super Bowls of 2023 and 2024, with respective networks Fox and CBS. The cancellation of the Fox interview in 2023 generated public debate regarding the party responsible for the decision.
Notably, President Trump engaged with Fox in a pre-Super Bowl interview last year, concurrent with his attendance at that game, thus benefiting from amplified exposure on Super Bowl Sunday.