The president is coming to this year’s NCAA Wrestling Championships Saturday night and Penn State star Carter Starocci was asked about it Wednesday afternoon.
Donald Trump is a big fan of combat sports, as evidenced by his repeated appearances at UFC events and his friendship with UFC boss Dana White, who he chose to introduce him at last summer’s republican national convention.
Trump has also been at wrestling events, including the 2023 national championships, where Starocci met him after winning his third individual title (he’d get No. 4 a year later).
Merica pic.twitter.com/AGaCLxQ2zd
— MatScouts (@MatScouts1) March 18, 2023
Trump wasn’t the president then, and here’s what Starocci had to say about the chance to compete in front of a sitting president, something he hasn’t done before.
WHAT STAROCCI SAID
Before Starocci was asked about Trump, Minnesota’s Gable Steveson, who was also at the podium for the joint presser, gave his take.
Add Nittany Sports Now as a preferred source in Google! Click here to add us.“I feel that President Donald Trump being here is a great thing,” Steveson said. “Regardless of who the President is, I think it’s a great fact that he comes to support wrestling, and whoever it is and wherever it may be, we’re going to put on a good show for him. So him showing up Saturday night, he’s coming to watch some of the best wrestling on earth and we’re going to give that to him.”
Starocci echoed those sentiments.
“I‘m looking forward to it,” Starocci said. “He came to nationals I believe my sophomore year and it was really cool. He’s obviously a big fan of combat sports. He’s at all the UFC events, so I think it’s good for our sport, and kind of like Gable said, he’s going to watch the best wrestling on earth.”
Starocci was a little more outspoken the last time he publically talked about Trump.
“I like watching his interviews because he’s a big personality,” Starocci said in his presser following the 2023 Championships, which Trump attended in Tulsa. “He has a set of big balls. I like how his mind works. Pretty big being with him.”
This year’s championships will run from Thursday, March 20, to Saturday, March 22 in Philadelphia.
