Nick Saban Drops Unexpected Bombshell About President Trump During Alabama Graduation Speech

Nick Saban stepping up to address Alabama’s Class of 2025—before passing the microphone to none other than former President Donald Trump—wasn’t just a ceremonial handoff; it sparked a cascade of assumptions and eyebrow raises. Was the college football legend throwing his weight behind Trump? Who knows? What we do know is that Saban, a seven-time national champion with a reputation for poise, shared a priceless nugget from his 2018 White House visit: a mysterious red button on the Oval Office desk that wasn’t for launching missiles, but for summoning a Coke—now that’s presidential humor with a twist! As Trump took the stage to preach about America’s so-called “Golden Age,” Saban showed us that grace in the face of controversy never goes out of style. Got you wondering what really goes on behind the scenes when the gridiron world meets the political spotlight? Let’s dive in. LEARN MORE.

Before President Donald Trump delivered a speech at Alabama’s graduation ceremony on Thursday night, Nick Saban addressed the class of 2025. 

Saban, a seven-time national champion, received some backlash prior to this week’s commencement ceremony for simply passing the baton to Trump. Some fans assumed it was his way of showing his support for the 47th president of the United States.  

While we can’t say for certain if Saban is a fan of Trump’s policies, he did share a hilarious story from his visit to the White House in 2018. It involved a red button on the president’s desk in the Oval Office.  

“The president is really nice to everybody and he’s got this very big, good-looking auspicious box on his desk that has a red button on top,” Saban said. “One of the players said, ‘Is that what you launch the missiles with?’ He said, ‘Well, push it and find out.’ The player said, ‘No I don’t want to do that.’ He says, ”No, go ahead. Go ahead. Push it, see what happens, find out.'”

Former Alabama linebacker Rashaan Evans was willing to press the button and see what happens. To his surprise, a lady walked into the Oval Office with a Coke on a tray. 

After sharing this story, Saban thanked Trump for making the trip to Tuscaloosa to address Alabama’s graduating class. 

“I really want to express my appreciation to President Trump for choosing the University of Alabama for his commencement address and making time to speak to our graduates,” Saban said. 

That led to Trump delivering a lengthy speech about America entering a “Golden Age.”

Again, we can’t say for sure if Saban is a Trump supporter. He did, however, show a ton of grace and class in front of Thursday’s audience. That doesn’t really surprise us though. He was classy for the majority of his coaching career. 

Related: President Trump Sends Message To Transgender Athletes During Graduation Speech