New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady might be a Donald Trump fan , at least based on what was spotted in his locker: a “Make America Great Again” red ball cap.
“Make America Great Again” is Trump’s campaign slogan, and The Donald himself has worn the hat at several rallies and public appearances. The cap is, of course, for sale on the Trump campaign website.
The current GOP front-runner has on several occasions effusively praised the pro football star.
If the cap is any indication, perhaps the admiration may be mutual.
John Feitelberg of the Brady-boosting Barstool Sports yesterday afternoon tweeted out a photo of what purports to be the QB’s locker at Gillette Stadium with the cap sitting in the lower right corner.
“Trump, who has adopted the slogan for his campaign, has been rocking the hat during speeches around the country. We don’t know if this counts as a vote, but Brady clearly took note of who supported him during the hearing,” Sports Illustrated explained .
Donald Trump apparently believes that Tom Brady will make the National Football League great again, now that the star is cleared to play in the first NFL regular-season game against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Thursday night.
A Trump spokeswoman told CNN Politics , “It’s well documented that Mr. Trump and Tom have a great friendship and have for many years.”
At his New York City press conference on Thursday, during which he pledged not to run as a third-party candidate in the November 2016 general election, Trump reacted to Brady’s federal court victory over the NFL in the Deflategate controversy/fiasco, in which a judge tossed out a four-game suspension originally imposed by league commissioner Roger Goodell.
“He’s a great guy, for those of you who don’t know him. He’s an honorable guy and an honest guy and a truly great athlete. He is really a very good friend of mine, and I just spoke to him a little while ago, he’s so thrilled and so happy.”
Back in May, Trump even expressed a hope that Brady would sue “the hell” out of the NFL for defamation in connection with the Deflategate investigation.
Tom wants to make America great again. pic.twitter.com/gkUsB4OXe6
— Feitelberg (@FeitsBarstool) September 5, 2015
“In 2005, Brady told CBS’s 60 Minutes that he’s a political independent and expressed interest in running for office someday,” CNN added.
Brady took some heat for not accompanying the team to the Obama White House in April for the traditional invite extended to the Super Bowl champions after several Brady visits to the White House when George W. Bush was U.S. president.
Whether or not Tom Brady is actually a “closet” Donald Trump supporter, or just a fan of gifted swag such as funky hats, a new poll suggests that the bombastic businessman and ex-reality TV star is scoring with the American voter.
Trump would defeat Democrat counterpart Hillary Clinton in the November 2016 general election (if she becomes the nominee) by 45 to 40 percent. Trump would also defeat Clinton rivals Bernie Sanders and Joe Biden by similar margins, according to Survey USA.
[Photos by Mike Lawrie/Getty Images Sport and Jan Kruger/Getty Images News]