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Trump Hosts the 2026 National Football Champions, Indiana University, May 11, 2026

May 11, 2026 · The White House · 0:27:32

Embedded from the source channel — never re-uploaded. Watch on YouTube

What happened

President Donald Trump hosted the Indiana University Hoosiers — the 2025 College Football National Champions — at the White House on May 11, 2026, entering with head coach Curt Cignetti. “I watched that game. I watched these guys. They can play,” the President said. “They were a little underestimated. But not anymore. They’re not underestimated anymore.”

His theme was the program’s improbability: “This is a team that came out from really a program that was a basketball program largely, and now it’s a great, great football program.” Of Cignetti, he said: “There are very few of them. Never bet against a guy like this. I’m telling you. Never bet against a guy like Curt.” He closed by taking the team to the Oval Office. A large cabinet contingent attended and was introduced from the podium: Vice President JD Vance, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, Acting Labor Secretary Keith Sonderling, Energy Secretary Chris Wright, HUD Secretary Scott Turner, U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, and SBA Administrator Kelly Loeffler. Working his way down the line, the President also repeated his Reflecting Pool claim — a saving of “about $600 million or something” against the projected approach, with the pool to open “in about 2 weeks” against a projected four years, as he stated it.

Why it matters

Championship receptions are the White House’s standing celebration circuit, and this one honored the season’s most improbable champion — a first-time football power out of a basketball school — with an unusually full cabinet turnout. It is recorded on the Elections & Governance hub with the administration’s other team receptions.

Sources: The White House, “President Trump Hosts the 2026 National Football Champions, Indiana University,” The White House, May 11, 2026 (official upload, embedded above). All characterizations as stated by President Trump at the reception.