Trump Says He’ll ‘Let the Hurricane Decide’ Whether He Attends Alabama vs. Georgia Game Amid Hurricane Isaias

• President Donald Trump shared whether he would attend the Alabama vs. Georgia game on Oct. 10 amid the looming threat of Hurricane Isaias
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• Ala. Gov. Kay Ivey declared a state of emergency ahead of the storm, which is expected to make landfall Oct. 9 before moving north through the Gulf Coast

• Alabama and the SEC said they were still monitoring conditions for the 7:30 p.m. ET kickoff in Tuscaloosa

President Donald Trump shared whether he would attend the Alabama vs. Georgia game on Oct. 10 amid the looming threat of Hurricane Isaias

Ala. Gov. Kay Ivey declared a state of emergency ahead of the storm, which is expected to make landfall Oct. 9 before moving north through the Gulf Coast

Alabama and the SEC said they were still monitoring conditions for the 7:30 p.m. ET kickoff in Tuscaloosa

Donald Trump said he will leave his decision to attend a college football game this weekend up to mother nature.

The president, 80, who previously said that he would attend the Alabama vs. Georgia game scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 10, walked back his comments amid the threat of Hurricane Isaias, which is projected to make landfall on Friday, Oct. 9, and move north.

“A hurricane and a football game. I love Alabama. I got to go to a game like that,” Trump said in the Oval Office on Wednesday, Oct. 7, according to NBC and CBS affiliate WVTM 13. “We hopefully are.”

“Look, I mean, if there’s an emergency or there’s a hurricane, I don’t want to do anything to take the focus off all of the great people that work on those things,” he said. “They have some tremendously great people, I don’t want to take the focus off.”

Trump, who previously attended the Texas vs. Tennessee Southeastern Conference game on Sept. 26, went on to acknowledge that he had not been aware of the hurricane when he previously said he planned to attend the game, adding that the storm would ultimately make the decision for him.

Donald Trump speaks in the Oval Office on Oct. 7, 2026 in Washington, D.C.
Credit: Annabelle Gordon/The Washington Post/Bloomberg/Getty

“I hadn’t heard about a hurricane. The hurricane is going in the vicinity of Alabama. That’s not good. Certainly, I am going to let the hurricane determine. I want people to be safe,” he said.

The storm, which is the first hurricane of the 2026 season in the Atlantic, is currently churning in the Gulf Coast and is expected to track north. Ahead of the hurricane’s expected impact, the state’s Gov. Kay Ivey declared a state of emergency.

“While we continue to monitor forecasts, we have to prepare now,” Ivey said, according to Fox affiliate WBRC.

Ivey added, “[The State of Emergency] will allow us to take any needed steps ahead of landfall. As we approach the weekend and any travel plans, make sure you have reliable information as conditions develop. While I hope for minimal impacts, we must take preparations seriously.”

Alabama fans enter Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa before a Crimson vs. White game on April 21, 2018.
Credit: Erick W. Rasco /Sports Illustrated/Getty

Ahead of the storm, Alabama issued a statement saying, “at this time there are no plans to alter the contest,” which is set to kick off at 7:30 p.m. ET in Tuscaloosa, Ala., according to The Associated Press. However, the statement noted that officials at the school and the SEC — which will make the final call — will continue to monitor conditions.

“It’s uncertainty beyond my control,” Georgia coach Kirby Smart said, AP reported. “I’m focused on trying to prepare our team and game plan and scheme.”

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The weather has already prompted changes elsewhere in the state.

The Southwestern Athletic Conference moved Florida A&M’s game at Alabama State from Saturday to Friday morning because of the storm, according to AP.

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