Debate: Donald Trump Takes Credit for Football Returning Amid the Pandemic

President Donald Trump hasn’t been shy about bragging about the hand he had in bringing Big Ten football back amid the coronavirus pandemic. During Tuesday’s first of three presidential debates against Joe Biden, Trump once again took credit for his role in giving the Big Ten its prized sport.

In discussing opening schools amid the pandemic, a point in which Biden disagreed with over safety concerns, Trump explained how the people wanted the schools open before bringing up football, “I’m the one that brought back football… I brought back Big Ten football. It was me and I’m very happy to do it.” Back on Sept. 1, Trump tweeted that he had a “productive conversation” with the Commissioner of the Big Ten, saying it would be “great for everyone” to have the league back up and running and not shutting its season down. After the league announced its return a few days later, Trump expressed his gratitude towards the decision, adding, “It is my great honor to have helped!”

Viewers of the debate seemed to find his decision to bring up his claim of personally bringing back Big Ten football — which has been disputed by some in the conference — as unnecessary and out of context amid the discussion. Here’s a look at some of the reactions to his football comment.

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