President Donald Trump was met with loud boos at the highly anticipated game between the Texas Longhorns and the Tennessee Volunteers in Knoxville on Saturday.
The Republican president received the less-than-warm welcome at Neyland Stadium when he appeared on the Jumbotron, as captured in video footage shared on social media. While being shown on the screen, Trump did several fist pumps for the crowd, looking sheepish as the boos grew louder.
Indeed, the response from the crowd was so loud and so overwhelmingly negative that it prompted one announcer to say “Oh, boy” and another to chime in with “Come on.”
The hostile reception should come as little surprise, considering the president is polling at record-low numbers, according to a new poll released by the Wall Street Journal. According to the Journal, Trump has an approval rating of just 37% — the lowest of any president going into a midterm since 1990.
A pregame spectacle also included a flyover by Air Force One while the marching band played the national anthem.
The president sat in a private box next to U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tennessee, and Randy Boyd, president of the University of Tennessee System. Trump quietly left the game at halftime, according to People magazine.
The Tennessee Volunteers lost to Texas 20-17, perhaps adding to the long-held theory of some Knicks fans that Trump is a jinx for any home team.
The Vols trailed 10-3 at halftime before fighting their way back in the second half, but ultimately came up short.
The Volunteers are named after a group of volunteers from the state — including Davy Crockett — who participated in the Battle of the Alamo and other early American conflicts.
Charlie Cook, founder of the nonpartisan Cook Political Report, on Sunday said that it was virtually a “done deal” to conclude that Democrats will retake the House following the midterms, with the party’s odds of also claiming the Senate appearing “very realistic.”
In the Journal poll, 60% of respondents said Trump’s policies on the economy have worsened it.
According to AAA, the average price of a gallon of regular gas in the U.S. stood around $4.48 on Monday, up from about $3.13 a year prior. Trump’s war in Iran and the closing of the Strait of Hormuz have prompted sticker shock at the pump.
And rising gas prices, of course, contribute to the rising price of everything else, including groceries.
In short, Americans have a lot to boo about.
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