Jaxson Dart introduces Trump at rally, draws backlash from Giants teammate

Jaxson Dart’s surprise appearance at a Trump rally in Suffern, New York, turned a campaign stop for Rep. Mike Lawler into a Giants story with immediate locker-room fallout. Dart stood at Rockland Community College’s Eugene Levy Fieldhouse on Friday, May 22, opened with a brief “Go Big Blue” chant, and told the crowd, “What’s up, what’s up, what’s up. Look, Big Blue Nation it’s a pleasure to be here,” before introducing Trump as the “45th and 47th president of the United States of America.”

Trump quickly folded Dart into his own remarks, calling him a “future Hall of Famer,” praising his “lot of talent,” and joking that his legs were “like tree trunks.” Trump also used Dart as part of a broader attack on men competing in women’s sports, turning the quarterback’s cameo into a political prop in front of a crowd gathered for Lawler, who is seeking reelection in New York’s 17th Congressional District.

The reaction inside the Giants’ orbit was swift. Abdul Carter, the No. 3 overall pick in 2025, posted on X, “thought this sh** was AI, what we doing man.” Carter and Dart were the Giants’ two first-round picks last year, with Dart going 25th overall. Carter started all 17 games last season, while Dart eventually took over as the team’s starting quarterback as the season progressed.

The episode pushed a personal political appearance into a broader institutional question for the Giants and the league: how far can a player’s private politics stay private once a high-profile endorsement becomes national news and draws a teammate into the frame. The club was not scheduled to resume OTAs until Wednesday, leaving little immediate chance for the matter to be addressed publicly by players or the organization.

Dart had already made his own political sympathies visible after the killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, saying Kirk did “great things for our country.” He also joined a growing list of football figures who have publicly aligned themselves with Trump in recent years, including Herschel Walker, Lawrence Taylor, Nick Bosa and Harrison Butker.