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ESPN requested interview with President Trump, who is reportedly attending Monday’s CFP National Championship
By Cody McClure
Published:
ESPN has been in talks with the White House about a potential interview with President Donald Trump during the College Football Playoff National Championship between Alabama and Georgia on Monday.
However, while Trump is apparently planning to attend the championship game in Atlanta, the indications are that the interview will not happen — according to an Associated Press report.
“We’re still taking to the White House. I don’t get the sense he’s going to do an interview,” Stephanie Druley, ESPN senior vice president for events and studio programs, reportedly said on Sunday. “We will, obviously, show him at the game when we see where he is sitting.”
There was a rift between Trump and ESPN in October when the president criticized the network in response to SportsCenter host Jemele Hill calling him a white supremacist:
Donald Trump is a white supremacist who has largely surrounded himself w/ other white supremacists.
— Jemele Hill (@jemelehill) September 11, 2017
With Jemele Hill at the mike, it is no wonder ESPN ratings have “tanked,” in fact, tanked so badly it is the talk of the industry!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 10, 2017
Druley reportedly said the interview request with Trump was not an attempt to reconcile the past issues.
“I don’t think that’s necessary,” Druley said. “It’s the president. The president shows up at a sporting event, ideally, you document it and you’d like to talk to him. I don’t think this president makes it any different quite honestly. I don’t think we have a need to mend fences.”
Cody McClure is an SEC Football Writer for Saturday Down South. He lives in Knoxville, Tennessee, where he also co-hosts a midday sports radio show for FOX Sports. Cody previously worked for Athlon Sports.
