Quarterback Jaxson Dart, who last week introduced President Donald Trump at a rally in New York, said Friday that he addressed the circumstances of that event with his New York Giants teammates during a team meeting earlier this week and prefers to keep the details of that conversation “private.”
However, Dart did share part of his reasoning for why he took the opportunity to introduce Trump.
“Obviously, this was a unique opportunity, being asked and given the opportunity to introduce the President of the United States,” Dart said as part of a prepared statement following Friday’s OTA practice. “My thinking was pretty simple, in the fact of, I’ve always loved this country. I have extended family members who have fought in wars. I have two uncles have retired from the Air Force Academy and served themselves. And I even have a great-grandfather who served as the Secretary of the Treasury at some point. The president position has always been a position that I have a lot of respect in, regardless of political affiliation, regardless of political party. My intentions were just that.”
Jaxson Dart’s first comments since introducing President Trump: pic.twitter.com/G8NccB9ioC
— Dan Duggan (@DDuggan21) May 29, 2026
Dart added that he understands that politics can be a “sensitive topic” and that people will have different opinions, but what’s most important to him is that he can rely on the “special” connections he’s made with his teammates to have authentic conversations with them, even about hot-button issues.
“I think the connections that we build are special because we’re able to have those real conversations,” Dart said. “We’re able to learn from each other, to support each other, irrespective of the color of our skin. And we have a real brotherhood. We’ve had a lot of honest conversations with each other, as a team, and I’d like to keep those things private between me and my teammates.”
Following Dart’s appearance at the event with Trump, fellow 2025 first-round pick Abdul Carter responded to a video of the event on X last weekend, saying, “Thought this s— was AI, what we doing man.”
Carter’s post immediately stirred up controversy and a suggestion that trouble could be brewing within the Giants’ locker room. However, Carter later posted on X, “Me and JD6 are good! We spoke earlier as Men. Yall can keep yall narratives.”
Carter elaborated on those comments Friday, suggesting that while he and Dart may not see eye-to-eye on politics, they can still be teammates who support one another.
“Some things are bigger than football, and this is one of those things,” Carter said. “Jaxson is one of our leaders. He’s the face of our franchise. He not only represents himself with whatever he does, but he represents all of us. And that goes for anybody who wears a Giants uniform. If he chooses to align himself with a man like President Trump, it’s my responsibility, based on what I believe and what I stand on, to not only show my teammates, but to show the world.
“That doesn’t mean we have to spread hate. That doesn’t mean me and Jaxson hate each other or that we have beef. I sit next to Jaxson every day, every team meeting. We’re close. We talk. As long as we make sure we have the same goals as a team, and our goals align, which they do, I feel like that’s all that matters. I just want to move past this, and that’s it.”
Abdul Carter’s first comments since Jaxson Dart introduced President Donald Trump pic.twitter.com/bOTQDBmQ4z
— Charlotte Carroll (@charlottecrrll) May 29, 2026
Giants coach John Harbaugh also addressed the situation, saying that he believes the events of last week and the team’s response to them have, “made us better.”
“Honestly, if I’m looking at it, I’m kind of grateful for the opportunity that we had to have the conversation,” Harbaugh said Friday. “I kind of shared this with you guys before, but if you do things the right way, you confront everything all of the time that have to do with your football team and your ability to be successful.
“And that was something to confront and talk about. So rather than ignore it or dictate something, let’s just talk about it. Let’s confront it, let’s decide how we’re going to do it. And they did it, and they moved on, and they had three great practices. So, I feel like it’s probably, if I’m being really honest about it, I think it made us better.”
John Harbaugh on events of the last week: “I think it’s made us better.”
Says it forced them to confront things and establish principles as a team together. #giants pic.twitter.com/J1YXCmqecI
— Charlotte Carroll (@charlottecrrll) May 29, 2026
This story will be updated.