During a speech in New Hampshire on Monday, former President Donald Trump briefly brought up the New England Patriots' recent struggles, saying he's confident head coach Bill Belichick will turn things around.
While trying to think of a good NFL team to use for an analogy about President Joe Biden negotiating with China, Trump said, "Let's see, what's a good team nowadays? Philadelphia's good. You know, they change a little bit."
"I used to say New England. I'd love to say the Patriots. He's a great guy, great coach," he said of Belichick. "But they're having a bit of a hard time. What's going on with the Patriots, huh? He is, he's a great coach. He'll figure it out somehow. He's gonna figure it out, but that was not a good game last night, was it?"
Trump was referencing the Patriots' 34-0 loss to the New Orleans Saints on Sunday afternoon, which dropped them to 1-4 on the season for the first time since 2000. It was the Patriots second-worst loss of Belichick's coaching career.
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Trump's relationship with Belichick goes back several years.
Just before the 2016 election, Trump announced that Belichick had sent him a letter endorsing his candidacy.
"Our friendship goes back many years and I think that anyone who has spent more than five minutes with me knows I'm not a political person," Belichick said after news of his letter was made public. "To me, friendship and loyalty is just about that. It's not about political or religious views. I write hundreds of letters and notes every month. Doesn't mean that I agree with every single thing that every person thinks about, politics, religion or other subjects, but I have multiple friendships that are important to me, and that's what that was about."
After being elected president, Trump announced in 2018 he was appointing the Patriots head coach to the President's Council on Sport, Fitness and Nutrition. And before leaving office in 2021, Trump announced his intention to present Belichick with the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Belichick wound up rejecting the offer in the aftermath of the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.
"Recently, I was offered the opportunity to receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom, which I was flattered by out of respect for what the honor represents and admiration for prior recipients," Belichick said in a statement at the time. "Subsequently, the tragic events of last week occurred and the decision has been made not to move forward with the award."
