Giants' Jaxson Dart Issues Statement on Introducing Donald Trump at Event in New Video

New York Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart opened his media availability at OTAs on Friday by issuing a statement regarding his introduction of United States President Donald Trump at a recent event.

"This was a unique opportunity being asked and given the opportunity to introduce the President of the United States," Dart said. "My thinking was pretty simple in the fact of I've always loved this country. ... So, the president position has always been a position that I've long respected regardless of political affiliation, regardless of political party, and my intentions were just that."

When asked if he understood why some of his teammates may have had an issue with him introducing Trump, Dart pointed toward his statement, saying, "I understand the question, but my statement is all that I have for you guys right now—that's where I'm at."

One teammate who did have an apparent problem with it was pass-rusher Abdul Carter, who posted and then deleted, "Thought this s--t was AI, what we doing man," on X.

In a follow-up post that was also deleted, Carter wrote, Me and JD6 are good! We spoke earlier as Men. Yall can keep yall narratives."

After Dart provided the media with his statement on Friday, he and Carter were seen hugging it out:

Carter also spoke to reporters Friday, and while he made his opposition to Trump clear, he also stressed the importance of himself and Dart moving forward as teammates:

Quarterback Jameis Winston also addressed the situation while meeting with reporters, noting that he's "proud" of both Dart and Carter for how they've handled it:

ESPN's Jordan Raanan reported Wednesday that Dart addressed his teammates and discussed the situation during a team meeting.

Per Raanan, pass-rushers Brian Burns and Kayvon Thibodeaux, and backup quarterback Jameis Winston were among those who also spoke, and the conversation was focused on "keeping things 'internal' and not airing frustrations publicly."

Raanan added that Dart was "approached recently about meeting the president during a trip to New York," which led to him introducing Trump before a speech at Rockland Community College in Suffern, New York, last Friday.

Giants head coach John Harbaugh was asked Friday about the recent team meeting, and he suggested that it was a positive discussion, saying, "The players established amongst themselves how they wanted to approach these kinds of things that are part of the dialogue in our society. They did a great job with it. I was proud of them, I was impressed by them. Couldn't have asked for anything better, so we're in a good place now and we're moving forward."

The 23-year-old Dart is preparing to enter his second NFL season after the Giants selected him 25th overall in the 2025 NFL draft.

Dart started 12 games as a rookie, and although he only posted a 4-8 record, he brought a dynamic element to the offense, completing 63.7 percent of his passes for 2,272 yards, 15 touchdowns and five interceptions, while also rushing for 487 yards and nine scores.

In addition to returning young, developing talent such as Dart, running back Cam Skattebo and wide receiver Malik Nabers, the Giants added a new coach in Harbaugh, signed tight end Isaiah Likely in free agency and had a pair of top-10 draft picks that they used on linebacker Arvell Reese and offensive tackle Francis Mauigoa.

The Giants are considered a candidate to take a big step forward in 2026 as a result, which made getting the team on the same page before training camp and the preseason a top priority.