Trump Welcoming the 2018 College Football Playoff National Champion Clemson Tigers to the White House | Eastern North Carolina Now

Press Release:

    East Room  •  January 15, 2019  •  6:48 P.M. EST

    THE PRESIDENT: Wow! Wow, what a group. Look at that quarterback. Oh, I want to be the agent of that tall, handsome quarterback. (Laughter.) Six-foot-seven. They say great athlete, and he's accurate. That's nice. Great job. And you're 18?

    MR. LAWRENCE: Yes, sir.

    THE PRESIDENT: Boy, that's some - you got a good future. (Laughter.) Good future. Congratulations, that's fantastic. And, Coach, congratulations. I mean, the whole thing.

President Trump welcomes the Clemson Tigers: Above. (White House photo)     Click image to expand.
    You -

    MR. CLEMENTS: Thank you, sir.

    THE PRESIDENT: And the coach - you. What a job, huh?

    COACH SWINNEY: Thank you, sir. (Applause.)

    THE PRESIDENT: What a job. What a job, Coach. (Applause.)

    So, thank you all. We had a little something different. You know, we had to make a decision. We could have seen you in about two months, and I know a lot of you are off to all sorts of camps and they're all checking you out. And you're going to be wealthy as hell, in some cases. (Laughter.) In other cases, you're going to be coming back and you're going to have another great year. I don't know if you can ever do 15 and 0. I hear that's a first time, right?

    COACH SWINNEY: Yes, sir

    THE PRESIDENT: Fifteen-and-oh.


    COACH SWINNEY: Yes, sir.

    THE PRESIDENT: Has that ever happened before? I don't think so. (Applause.) So, I don't know, but you'll do as good, right? You'll do as good.

    But - so, I had a choice: Do we have no food for you? Because we have a shutdown. Or do we give you some little, quick salads that the First Lady will make along with the Second Lady. They'll make some salads. (Laughter.) And I said you guys aren't into salads.

    Or do I go out - Lindsey Graham and Tim Scott - do I go out and send out for about 1,000 hamburgers? (Laughter.) Big Macs. So we actually did. We bought 1,000 - Burger King, all American companies. Burger King, Wendy's, and McDonald's. We have Big Macs. We have quarter-pounders with cheese. We have everything that I like, that you like. (Laughter.)

    And I know no matter what we did, there's nothing you can have that's better than that, right? (Laughter.) And so we ordered. We literally have - and I don't know, have they started eating and devouring?

    AUDIENCE: Yeah!

    THE PRESIDENT: I wanted to see - so, it was piled up a mile high. I just wanted to see what was left. I saw it at the beginning. How much is left back there? How much? They go, "Not much." (Laughter.)

    Well, I want to thank you. I want to thank you for being here. We're truly thrilled to welcome to the White House the 2018 College Football National Champions, the Clemson University Tigers. Very famous team right now, the way you're playing. (Applause.) Very famous team. Unbelievable. Unbelievable.

    We had such a wonderful time two years ago. I got to know your President, I got to know your coach. And - very special people. Really, very special people. What a job you've done, I'll tell you what. And, Coach, what a job you've done. Very - very unusual.

    You know, there are other teams with a lot of talent, and they're watching us tonight on live television. You got a lot of (inaudible). (Laughter.) They're watching us and they're saying, "We'll get them next year." (Laughter.) And maybe they will, but I don't think you think so, Coach. Right? You feel good about next year, right?

    COACH SWINNEY: Yes, sir.

    THE PRESIDENT: How many are coming back next year?

    COACH SWINNEY: Enough. We got enough. (Laughter.)

    THE PRESIDENT: Enough. They'll have - and a couple of new ones coming in, I'll bet.

    COACH SWINNEY: (Inaudible.)

    THE PRESIDENT: Nobody is going to feel bad. That's good.

    Well, we're going to have you back. And you're going to be back. And I said that to you last time. But last year - we skipped a year - but I said to the coach last time - I said, "You'll be back." And it turned out to be pretty soon.

    To the University President, Jim Clements; Board Chairman Smyth McKissick - where is Smyth? Come on, Smyth. You got to get up here, Smyth. Come on. I mean, you are the chairman. (Applause.) Dan Radakovich. Where's Dan? Athletic Director. Come on, Dan. Get up here, Dan. (Applause.) Coach Dabo Swinney. Everybody knows Dabo. Is he doing a good job? You're going to keep him for this season? (Applause.) Huh? You're satisfied with his results, right? I would think.

    And all of the incredible players here. And you are incredible athletes, incredible players. Congratulations on your stunning victory against a great team and your second national championship in three years. Pretty incredible.

    Joining us today, we have a few of our biggest fans: Secretary of the Treasury Steve Mnuchin, who is doing a fantastic - where's Steve? (Applause.) Couldn't make your team. We would never be able to make your team, that I can tell you.

    Acting Attorney General Matt Whitaker, who is a great player. He was in the Rose Bowl, actually. Matt Whitaker right here. (Applause.) I won't tell you whether he won or lost in the Rose Bowl, but they played a good game, right? And he's a - he was a great football player.


    Senator Lindsey Graham. (Applause.) Lindsey?

    Acting Secretary of Defense, Pat Shanahan. A big fan of yours, too. Pat. (Applause.)

    Another great friend of mine, and Lindsey's and everybody - and is a highly respected man, big football fan: Tim Scott. Senator Tim Scott. (Applause.) Thank you, Tim. Thanks.

    Congressman Jeff Duncan. (Applause.) Thank you, Jeff. Great. Hi, Jeff.

    Also with us is our new Chief of Staff and a former congressman from the great state of South Carolina, Mick Mulvaney. He's doing a fantastic job. Thank you, Mick. (Applause.)

    And we have a lot of other great politicians here. Great successful politicians. And I have to say, what you've done is very inspiring to a lot of people - to everybody.

    The Clemson Tiger football team has earned its place in the history books as the first team since 1897 to finish the season with an undefeated 15 and 0 record. Eighteen. Can you imagine that? That's a long time ago, Coach. (Laughter.) Yeah, just do as well next year. (Laughs.) That is really - 1897.

    The senior players on the team have won 55 games over the past four years - an incredible fact. You're tied with the Alabama seniors for the most wins in Division I history.

    And the biggest win of all came in the final game between these two titans - they are titans - with a jaw-dropping 44 to 16 Clemson win over the Alabama Crimson Tide. And Alabama went in, and they felt confident. But, boy, right from the beginning, the job you did.

    Trevor Lawrence - where's Trevor? Trevor Lawrence. (Applause.) There's Trevor. That's what I thought. Showed why he's among the best in college football, despite being a 19-year-old true freshman, throwing for 347 yards, three touchdowns, and no interceptions. And, by the way, as I remember, a couple of not-bad runs, right? They said you're a great athlete, aside from everything else. And you're also an accurate thrower. It's nice to see.

    This season, he racked up more than 3,200 yards in the air, which is tremendous. And it's certainly not a bad way to start a college career. Has there ever been a start like this of a college career for a quarterback, Coach - I think, as a freshman? That's pretty good, right?

    COACH SWINNEY: Don't think so.

    THE PRESIDENT: Yeah. I think the coach is satisfied. He feels good. (Laughter.) Trevor, he likes you, okay? You'll be - I don't think you're worried about - he's not being - he's not worried about being beat out next season, I don't think, at the beginning. I don't think so. Although, there are probably a couple of guys in here, Trevor, you got to be careful, right? There are probably - who's gunning for him? Who? Whose hands? A couple of guys. Oh, look at them. I know how that stuff works. That's all right. Good luck to everybody. (Laughter.) Hey, lots of luck right now. It's a little - great.

    The good news for Clemson fans is that he won't be eligible for the NFL draft for another two years, okay? Good. Great career.

    Wide receiver - I watch you - Hunter Renfrow began his career - where's Hunter? Hunter. Great. (Applause.) Great job, Hunter - as a walk-on. He finished it with two receptions in the championship game, and he was drawing coverage all over the place, wasn't he? I could see that. They were talking about it. They were all over you. Drawing coverage anywhere he went on the field, which made it a lot easier for some of the other folks. So, great job. Great job, Hunter. Fantastic.


    Defensive coordinator Brent Venables is here today. Where's Brent? (Applause.) Where's Brent? Wow. And I'll tell you, he didn't get a very good location here. That's - are you okay back there, Brent?

    MR. VENABLES: I'm good. Yes, sir.

    THE PRESIDENT: Okay. (Laughter.) Three times, your defense stopped Alabama cold in the red zone. True. An incredible feat - a feat that people said couldn't happen. Alabama averaged 48 points per game this season. Clemson's defense held them to just 16 in the championship game. Amazing.