Shortly after taking the stage at Coleman Coliseum on May 1, President Donald Trump talked Alabama football. After being introduced by former Crimson Tide coach Nick Saban, Trump began his remarks at the University of Alabama 's special commencement ceremony by asking students to remember where they were when Saban retired.

Saban went back to the Alabama football visit to the White House in 2018 after Alabama won the national championship. Saban said Trump was the first president to invite Saban and the Crimson Tide into the Oval Office. Saban took three captains with him.