Will Trump make it to Alabama? Fate will decide. President Donald Trump wants to watch Alabama take on Georgia this weekend, but Hurricane Isaias could have the final say on whether he makes it to the stadium.
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Speaking in the Oval Office on Wednesday, Oct. 7, Trump stopped short of confirming his Saturday trip to Tuscaloosa. He had announced plans to attend during an appearance in Mobile. "Certainly, I'm going to let the hurricane determine. I want people to be safe," Trump said, according to WBRC.
Surprisingly, he confessed that he hadn't heard about the hurricane in the Gulf. "I hadn't heard about a hurricane," Trump said, according to a CNN transcript.
The president explained that he did not want his visit to draw attention away from emergency personnel working through a potential disaster.
By Thursday morning, the weather concerns extended well beyond football. The National Weather Service said Isaias was strengthening and expected to approach the northern Gulf Coast late Friday, bringing risks of damaging winds, storm surge, flash flooding and tornadoes.
Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey responded by putting 40 counties under a state of emergency, including Tuscaloosa County.
Trump Discusses Hurricane and Trip
"While we continue to monitor forecasts, we have to prepare now," Ivey said in a statement reported by WBRC.
Her declaration took effect Wednesday afternoon. Ivey also urged people making weekend travel plans to follow reliable updates as conditions changed, underscoring that preparations needed to begin before the storm arrived.
On the football side, Georgia coach Kirby Smart acknowledged the limits of what his team could control.
"It's uncertainty beyond my control," Smart said, according to The Associated Press. He said his attention remained on getting his players ready and developing their game plan.
The matchup remained scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET Saturday, Oct. 10, with Alabama and the Southeastern Conference monitoring conditions. The conference has the final say on scheduling changes.
Other teams had already adjusted: Florida A&M's game at Alabama State moved from Saturday to Friday morning. For Trump, the question was whether to make the trip. For officials preparing for Isaias, the immediate task was getting communities ready for whatever the storm might bring.
