The Commander in Jinx? Trump Has Met Many Athletes in Second Term — and at Least 11 of Them Are Now Injured
· Yahoo Sports
New York/New Jersey football fans were shocked and saddened as Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart went down with a knee injury during Monday night’s game against the LA Rams, with some suggesting he may be the latest victim of a Donald Trump curse.
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So Mediaite looked into it, and found that at least 10 athletes Trump has met with since he returned to office in January 2025 have gone down with various injuries, the latest being Dart, who went down during the opening drive of his Week 2 start and may be out for the season.
See below for the list of players and their injuries:
Jaxson Dart
The aforementioned Dart suffered a knee injury when he was sandwiched between two Rams players during the Monday night contest. While initial X-rays were negative, it was reported on Wednesday that Dart will undergo season-ending surgery.
The QB notably appeared at a Trump rally in Suffern, New York, back in May, where he said it was “an honor and a privilege” to introduce the president. As he took the podium, Trump fawned over the passer, saying his legs were “like tree trunks.”
And the praise didn’t stop there.
“I wish I looked just like Jaxson,” Trump told Fox News host Will Cain days later. “I said, ‘Is he a male model, or what?’ He’s a handsome guy, like a beautiful guy, a, you know, conservative guy. He said, ‘I love you, sir.’”
Aaron Judge
New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge has been plagued by injuries this season, his 11th with the Bronx Bombers. He was out for months with a rib fracture in May. Judge’s celebrated return to the Yankees lineup on September 8 was brief, as he went down with a calf injury just over a week later.
Judge met Trump as the commander in chief visited the Yankees clubhouse on September 11, 2025.
Trump told Fox & Friendsthe next morning that Judge had the “biggest forearms” he’d ever seen.
Trent Grisham
Trent Grisham, the Yankees outfielder who met Trump during the same clubhouse visit on the 24th anniversary of 9/11, hasn’t been in the lineup since a hamstring injury earlier this month, which may leave him sidelined for the rest of the season and the playoffs.
Fernando Cruz
Yankees reliever Fernando Cruz, who was also present during Trump’s 9/11 clubhouse visit, suffered a partial UCL tear in his throwing arm. It was reported that he may require season-ending elbow surgery to repair the damage, but Cruz is opting to play through it.
Saquon Barkley
Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley was forced to exit Sunday’s game against the Tennessee Titans with a stinger injury. He did return to the game at one point, but did not finish. Luckily for him, the injury is not believed to be serious, and he will more than likely play this Sunday.
While Barkley and Trump have met on several occasions, including at the White House and the golf course, the running back declined the president’s offer to serve on his Council on Sports, Fitness, and Nutrition.
Dallas Goedert
In the same game that Barkley was injured, Philly tight end Dallas Goedert suffered an MCL sprain that will likely keep him off the field for a few weeks. He was present at the White House as Trump honored the and was pictured shaking the president’s hand.
Tua Tagovailoa
Tua Tagovailoa was looking to put his injury-laden performance with the Miami Dolphins behind him when he joined the Atlanta Falcons this season, but the quarterback was sidelined with an oblique injury he suffered in Week 1.
While Tua has not physically met with Trump recently, he was appointed to the president’s Council on Sports, Fitness, and Nutrition in a ceremony where he butchered the QB’s name. When asked about it in August 2025, Tagovailoa said it was an honor, but he seemed confused as to why he was brought in for the council.
As of now, Tagovailoa is slated to return this weekend.
Brad Marchand
Florida Panthers forward Brad Marchand is starting the 2026-2027 NHL season riding the pine pony after undergoing an unspecified surgery in the offseason.
In January, Marchand met with Trump at the Oval Office with other members of the Panthers squad that won the Stanley Cup in 2025.
Tadeo Allende
Inter Miami soccer star Tadeo Allende suffered a knee injury in May, and it was serious enough to keep him off the pitch for the rest of the 2026 season.
He underwent arthroscopic surgery on his right knee in Barcelona as a result of discomfort.
He met Trump during a White House reception to honor Inter Miami for the team’s 2025 MLS Cup victory.
Manuel Locatelli
Juventus midfielder Manuel Locatelli suffered a serious meniscus tear earlier this month and is said to be out for months.
He was part of a Juventus delegation that met Trump at the White House in an “awkward” event ahead of the 2026 World Cup.
In a bizarre moment during the visit, Trump gestured toward the players while ranting about immigration, saying, “They have to come legally. If they come legally, we want them. They have to say they love America, they love our country. And if they can’t say that, we don’t want them.”
Reece James
Chelsea captain Reece James has been out of action since suffering a hamstring injury earlier this month, but is set to return to the pitch in October.
Trump presented James with the Club World Cup trophy after Chelsea defeated Paris Saint-Germain last year at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.
In an awkward moment, the president remained on the stage as James and his teammates celebrated the win despite Gianni Infantino’s attempts to discreetly usher him away.
The post The Commander in Jinx? Trump Has Met Many Athletes in Second Term — and at Least 11 of Them Are Now Injured first appeared on Mediaite.