Trump Blasted for Claiming He 'Brought Back Football' During Presidential Debate

Trump made the claim during Tuesday night's debate with Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden, while the two were discussing the coronavirus.

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Image via Getty/Win McNamee

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Among the many insufferable moments during Tuesday's presidential debate was when the candidates began discussing the social and economic impacts of the coronavirus. President Donald Trump defended his position to reopen the country and, at one point, took credit for bringing "football back" despite the health risks.

"People want their places open. They want to get back to their lives," POTUS said. "They'll be careful, but they want their schools open. I'm the one that brought back football. By the way, I brought back Big Ten football. It was me and I'm very happy to do it. The people of Ohio are very proud of me."

'I'm the one that brought back football.... People of Ohio are very proud of me,' says Trump https://t.co/ourGgimkR7 #Debates2020 pic.twitter.com/YyPZz5Vmge

— Reuters (@Reuters) September 30, 2020

Twitter users immediately criticized Trump for bragging about his alleged role in bringing back college athletics, which seems trivial when you consider the havoc COVID-19 has wreaked on the nation; record unemployment, mass evictions, and more than 206,000 deaths.

Earlier this month, The Big Ten announced it would kick-off its nine-week season on Oct. 23; however, a president of a Big Ten school claimed Trump had nothing to do with the decision.

"President Trump had nothing to do with our decision and did not impact the deliberations," the anonymous president told NBC News. "In fact, when his name came up, it was a negative, because no one wanted this to be political."

Trump: I brought back Big Ten football.

Big Ten university president: No TF you did not.https://t.co/Qso7vjzPUZ pic.twitter.com/1JbZty2zgw

— Jim Messina (@Messina2012) September 30, 2020

You can read some of the reactions to Trump's Big Ten claims below, including some from notable football players.

Forget $750 I brought back football - basically what Trump said 😂

— Torrey Smith (@TorreySmithWR) September 30, 2020

Apparently bringing football back is more important than saving lives

— Robert Griffin III (@RGIII) September 30, 2020

Trump: I brought back football

Eagles fans really wish you hadn’t there goes southeastern PA

— Jawn Gonzalez (@JohnGonzalez) September 30, 2020

Trump is more worried about Big 10 and football than actual lives lost because blue *state* lives don't matter.

Big 10 fans, let's make sure we win Wisconsin this election season: https://t.co/YbmPfbu5wB

— Patton Oswalt (@pattonoswalt) September 30, 2020

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