Brett Favre Divides Sports Figures and Celebrities With Trump Endorsement
On Friday morning, former Green Bay Packers quarterback Brett Favre endorsed President Donald Trump for re-election in a tweet. Reactions from celebrities and fellow sports figures were mostly split, with some people calling Favre out and others applauding him for his endorsement.
In the tweet, Favre explained his thoughts behind voting for Trump. "My Vote is for what makes this country great, freedom of speech & religion, 2nd Amnd [sic], hard working tax paying citizens, police & military. In this election, we have freedom of choice, which all should respect," he wrote before saying that Trump has his vote.
My Vote is for what makes this country great, freedom of speech & religion, 2nd Amnd, hard working tax paying citizens, police & military. In this election, we have freedom of choice, which all should respect. For me & these principles, my Vote is for @RealDonaldTrump. #Vote ☑️🇺🇸
— Brett Favre (@BrettFavre) October 30, 2020
The endorsement should come as little surprise. During an interview earlier this month with The Washington Examiner, Favre also spoke favorably about Trump. "I think he's done a good job for our country. Is he perfect? By no means is he perfect. Tell me someone who is perfect other than Jesus Christ, and I'll call you a liar," he said after speaking about playing golf with the president.
After Favre's endorsement, a number of sports and media personalities praised him for sharing his support. NASCAR driver Kenny Wallace, professional poker player Mike Matusow and conservative podcaster and social media personality Graham Allen both tweeted out support for Favre. Conservative blogger Matt Rooney simply shared a GIF of the quarterback in reply.
The legend knows. Thank you @BrettFavre https://t.co/ULkOuK3s00
— Kenny Wallace (@Kenny_Wallace) October 30, 2020
I always loved @BrettFavre ! #vote https://t.co/0f85fG3QJl
— Mike Matusow (@themouthmatusow) October 30, 2020
As a fellow MS guy.....Respect🇺🇸
— Graham Allen (@GrahamAllen_1) October 30, 2020
— Matt Rooney (@MattRooneyNJ) October 30, 2020
Despite Favre receiving some support, other people made note of the sorts of reactions that other athletes and sports reporters get when they speak out or write about more political matters. Sports reporter and radio personality Adam Green sarcastically wondered if the people who say "stick to sports" are upset about him speaking about the election. Another reporter compared reactions to Favre's endorsement to those when NBA player LeBron James speaks out against Trump.
Brett Favre of course has every right to share who he is or has voted for.
— Adam Green (@theAdamGreen) October 30, 2020
I just wonder if the "stick to sports" crowd is upset over his doing so. https://t.co/jsoRTwnF0g
Stunningly the right has been awfully quiet about Brett Favre, Jay Cutler and Jack Nicklaus not "sticking to sports". I'm not dumb enough to take voting advice from those guys but I believe in their right to say what they want.
— Adam the Bull (@AdamtheBullFAN) October 30, 2020
Brett Favre is praised while LeBron James needs to “shut up and dribble.”
— David Wysong (@DavidWysong_) October 30, 2020
One sports reporter remarked that he can't imagine his own vote being swayed by what athletes say, but he did mention that he's glad to know which athletes share his values and which do not.
Whether it’s Brett Favre or LeBron James, I cannot imagine being swayed to vote by either man.
— Jose de Jesus Ortiz (@OrtizKicks) October 30, 2020
But I respect all of those who unmask themselves. I’d rather know if you’re ally or not.
For whatever it’s worth, I’m all in with #BidenHarris2020 https://t.co/xjMnKmmrlb
Former NFL quarterback Sage Rosenfels gave Favre the meme treatment, copying his tweet exactly, but saying instead that those are the reasons he's voting for former Vice President Joe Biden.
My Vote is for what makes this country great, freedom of speech & religion, 2nd Amnd, hard working tax paying citizens, police & military. In this election, we have freedom of choice, which all should respect. For me & these principles, my Vote is for @JoeBiden. #Vote ☑️🇺🇸 https://t.co/k3DXwh7dOt
— Sage Rosenfels (@SageRosenfels18) October 30, 2020
Other people made fun of Favre for the way he endorsed Trump. Filmmaker Adam Best pointed to Favre speaking about "hard working tax paying citizens" as ironic, given Trump's recent tax scandals. Comedy writer Jason O. Gilbert made light of a 2010 incident, where Favre allegedly sent a nude photo of himself to a reporter, according to Deadspin in 2010. Despite that controversy, Gilbert called the Trump endorsement "somehow the most embarrassing thing to ever come from Brett Favre's phone."
”Hard working tax paying citizens”
— Adam Best (@adamcbest) October 30, 2020
Brett Favre says while endorsing a tax cheat who spends his days watching cable news and playing golf. https://t.co/lxPeovRHQk
somehow the most embarrassing thing to ever come from Brett Favre’s phone https://t.co/oQkYAe0kj5
— Jason O. Gilbert (@gilbertjasono) October 30, 2020
Newsweek reached out to Favre's agent for comment via an email link on his website, but did not receive a response in time for publication.
