When news broke that President Trump would be attending tonight’s College Football Playoff Championship game, people immediately wondered how Trump would be received.
The President is currently not that popular, but southern states like Alabama and Georgia are probably more likely to feature a friendly audience. Trump will also reportedly be joining the Alabama radio broadcast at some point during the game.
However, the real problems began with his arrival; upon touchdown at Dobbins Air Force Base, Trump’s motorcade forced closures along I-75 heading to Mercedes-Benz Stadium, which was already likely snarled with pre-game traffic.
.@POTUS has landed at Dobbins in Marietta. I-75/sb WILL be shut down shortly between Marietta & Downtown. Please USE COBB PKWY./Hwy. 41 or Ga-400 to avoid this closure! #ATLtraffic
— Ashley Frasca (@AshleyFrascaWSB) January 8, 2018
Then, with the stadium on lockdown ahead of Trump’s arrival, many fans were forced to wait outside until the President could be ushered in; that’s unfortunate enough, but it’s also raining in Atlanta, to the point that the stadium’s roof has been leaking:
So there is a fairly steady drop of water falling from the ceiling on the field in front of us, here at the 20 yard line closest to the end zone that says Georgia.
— Seth Emerson (@SethWEmerson) January 8, 2018
That led to this moment, captured by CNN’s Andy Scholes, of Trump’s motorcade arriving at the stadium. Fans forced to wait outside were not afraid to express their displeasure:
They locked down @MBStadium for @realDonaldTrump an hour ago and myself and a thousand fans have been waiting in the rain to get in. Let’s just say there were plenty of boos when Trump arrived pic.twitter.com/6XIr8YO5gO
— Andy Scholes (@AndyScholesCNN) January 8, 2018
How much of their reaction was a result of the weather and how much a result of their overall opinion of the President is tough to discern, but either way it wasn’t a positive reception.
