SUFFERN — Jaxson Dart introduced President Donald Trump before his speech in Suffern, New York, on Friday. Dart, 23, led a “Go Big Blue” chant before taking the stage, saying, “Big Blue Nation, it’s a pleasure to be here. I got to start this off with a ‘Go Big Blue.’”

Dart went on to say, “What an honor, what a privilege it is to be here, and without further ado, I’m grateful, I’m honored, I’m pleasured to introduce the 45th and 47th president of the United States of America, President Donald J. Trump.” Trump and Dart shook hands on stage after the introduction.

Abdul Carter took issue with Dart’s appearance alongside Trump. Carter reposted a video of the introduction on X with a caption that included profanity, expressing disbelief at the event. He later deleted the post and shared another message stating, “Me and JD6 are good! We spoke earlier as Men. Y’all can keep y’all narratives.”

Super Bowl champion Jerome Bettis commented on the intersection of politics and sports in light of such moments. He noted that while teammates may not agree politically, they must find ways to work together. “You don’t have to agree. And that’s the one thing. I mean, you don’t agree with your teammate, but you got to find a way to work with them and I think that’s what happens,” Bettis said.

Bettis added that politics has always existed in sports but was rarely at the forefront during his NFL career from 1993 to 2005. “I think politics, it’s always there. It’s never really in the forefront in terms of sports or a locker room. So, I don’t think that’s ever an issue. But what you have to do is find common ground. I think that’s what team sports is all about,” he said.

He emphasized that team sports bring together people from different backgrounds toward a common goal, requiring mutual understanding. Reflecting on how political dynamics have changed since his playing days, Bettis said, “No, it never did” cause issues in the locker room. He added that the current political climate is more divisive than in the past, saying, “Now everyone’s picking sides and this and that and now you hate the other guy’s side. And that was never the case in politics 20 years ago. Hey, you respected the guy’s decision and his politics was his politics and now it’s a much different dynamic that politics weighs on people nowadays.”