Dabo Swinney shares feelings about Donald Trump attending Clemson-South Carolina game

CLEMSON, S.C. — Former president Donald Trump will be in attendance at the Clemson vs. South Carolina football game at Williams-Brice Stadium in Columbia on Saturday.

Clemson coach Dabo Swinney was asked for his reaction to news of Trump's appearance during his news conference Tuesday.

"I don't care who comes to the game," he said. "I just care about who's playing in the game. Unless (South Carolina coach Shane Beamer) is going to put him in and throw him a halfback pass or something."

It won't be Clemson's or Swinney's first experience with the former president. The Tigers visited the White House twice while Trump was in office after winning the national championship in 2016 and 2018.

Trump's appearance at the game Saturday comes as he is on the campaign trail for the 2024 election. He is the current front-runner for the Republican party's nomination, polling at an average of 60% among Republican primary voters according to FiveThirtyEight. One of his opponents is former South Carolina governor Nikki Haley, who is also a member of Clemson University's Board of Trustees.

Christina Long covers Clemson athletics for the Greenville News and the USA TODAY Network. You can follow her on Twitter @christinalong00 or email her at clong@greenvillenews.com.