Former President Donald Trump will not be among the spectators at this year's Super Bowl held in Santa Clara, California. However, his presence will be felt through a scheduled interview with Tom Llamas, anchor of "NBC Nightly News," which NBC announced on Tuesday. This interview will be distributed in several installments commencing Wednesday evening and is set to feature prominently in the pre-game coverage for Super Bowl LX on Sunday.
This development is particularly significant considering Trump's previously contentious relationship with NBC. Over the years, Trump has openly criticized NBC News on numerous occasions and has coined the nickname "Concast" for its parent company, Comcast. Moreover, in 2018, the last year NBC broadcasted the Super Bowl during Trump's presidency, he opted out of participating in the pre-game show interview segment. Contrasting this past stance, Trump has now accepted the platform, indicating a renewed preference for the visibility and reach that the event provides.
The pre-game programming of the Super Bowl historically commands a large audience, comprising viewers who tune in hours before the game's kickoff. This positions the interview as a strategic opportunity for Trump to extend his message beyond his established followers. The tradition of a presidential interview during Super Bowl coverage traces back to former President George W. Bush and continued with President Barack Obama, who engaged in annual conversations with the host network starting in 2009.
During Trump's administration, the interview dynamics became more complex. Unlike previous presidents who were interviewed by veteran journalists, Trump’s interviews were conducted by Fox News personalities Bill O'Reilly in 2017 and Sean Hannity in 2020, prompting critiques about the impartiality of these sessions. The current President Joe Biden upheld the tradition in 2021 with CBS and in 2022 with NBC but chose to forgo the interview opportunity in both 2023 and 2024. This decision sparked conservative criticism accusing the White House of avoiding public scrutiny.
Continuing his characteristic candor, Trump openly criticized Biden's choice to skip the Super Bowl interview. In the lead-up to last year’s game, Trump stated, "They ask a question, and you give them an answer. It's not that hard." That same year, Trump recorded an interview with Fox News anchor Bret Baier during the Fox broadcast and also attended the game in New Orleans, becoming the first sitting president to do so in person.
Regarding this year's event location in Santa Clara, Trump told the New York Post that the distance was prohibitive, explaining simply, "it's just too far away," thereby clarifying the reason behind his decision not to attend in person. Instead, he will be visible through NBC's extensive Super Bowl Sunday coverage, maintaining his tradition of engaging with football fans via national television broadcasts rather than through on-site presence.