Newly minted New York Giants head coach John Harbaugh said it feels “really great” to have had the endorsement of the team’s most famous fan during the search process.
President Donald Trump, a New York native and known fan of the city’s sports teams, posted his endorsement for Harbaugh, 63, in a January 7 post via Truth Social.
“Hire John Harbaugh, fast,” wrote Trump, 79. “He, and his brother, are total winners!!! President DJT.”
John’s younger brother, Jim, is the head coach of the Los Angeles Chargers.
“It’s sports and everybody’s excited,” Harbaugh said during his introductory press conference on Tuesday, January 20. “Everybody follows it at every level. People follow football. They follow the Giants and they follow the National Football League. Like we said, it’s the biggest sport and this is the most iconic franchise, so here we are.”
Trump reiterated his support in a January 10 post, which came after ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that Harbaugh had received interest from more than a half dozen teams.
“The New York Football Giants should hire, without question, John Harbaugh – And John, a great guy, should TAKE THE JOB!!! President DJT,” Trump wrote.
In discussing that message, Harbaugh added, “I’ll tell you, I also noticed on that post that he said, ‘John, take the job.’ “So I thought that [Giants owner] John Mara might have something to do with that. I don’t know, but it’s cool.”
John spent 18 years with the Baltimore Ravens, leading the franchise to the Super Bowl XLVII title in the 2012 season. After an 8-9 season in 2025, only the Ravens’ second losing campaign since 2016, the franchise let him go. He went 180-113 with the Ravens, the only team he has ever led as head coach.
Trump was later asked about John’s hiring after it became official, telling reporters at the college football national championship game on Monday, January 19, that John is “a great coach.”
“I like the coach. I like his brother,” he said, referring to Jim. “They came up to see me about three months ago. They came up to see me in the White House with their mother and father because the mother likes me, and the father likes me and I think they like me.”
Trump added, “And he’s a great coach and he’s gonna do well with the Giants, just like his brother does so well. They got something very special in their blood. And I’m happy for the Giants. They got a great coach.”
John, for his part, spoke glowingly of the meeting Trump referenced, which took place in July 2025.
“It was an amazing experience,” he told reporters at the time. “It’s not often you get invited and you get a chance to do something like that as a family. We were there, my daughter was there, Jim’s daughters were there. My mom and dad were there. My mom and President Trump – just seeing how he treated her was really meaningful.”
He also defended Trump after the visit when a reporter asked him about disparaging comments the President has made toward the city of Baltimore.
“How you framed that question — I would have framed that question like, ‘You got a chance to go visit with the president, man. What was that experience like?’” he said. “It was amazing. It was awesome. And I promise you I root for our president. I want our president to be successful just like I want my quarterback to be successful, and I want my team to be successful, and it was an amazing experience. It’s not often you get invited, and you get a chance to do something like that as a family.”
Read the full article here
