When you think about the most famous faces on the sidelines, you usually think of die-hard fans like Spike Lee at a Knicks game or Jack Nicholson in his Lakers seats. But with Donald Trump, the question of what NFL team does Donald Trump like isn't actually a simple matter of geography or childhood nostalgia. It’s more like a long-running, high-stakes soap opera.
Seriously. This is a guy who has spent forty years trying to get into the "club" of NFL owners, getting rejected, then spending the next decade trying to sue or boycott the league, only to turn around and praise specific players and coaches.
The Team That Almost Was: The Buffalo Bills
If you want to know which team Trump has the deepest connection to in recent years, you have to look at the Buffalo Bills. Back in 2014, after the legendary Ralph Wilson passed away, the Bills were up for sale. Trump didn't just "like" the team; he wanted to own it.
He put in a massive $1 billion cash bid. Honestly, he was obsessed with it. He even reportedly helped stir up rumors that a rival bidder—rock star Jon Bon Jovi—was planning to move the team to Toronto just to turn the local Buffalo fans against him. It was a classic "Art of the Deal" move.
In the end, he lost out to Terry and Kim Pegula, who dropped $1.4 billion to keep the team in Western New York. Trump has since said that if he’d actually won that bid, he probably never would have run for president. Think about that: the entire course of American history might have changed if he’d just been able to spend his Sundays in a luxury box at Highmark Stadium.
Even today, he speaks pretty highly of the Bills. He’s a massive fan of Josh Allen, often calling him a "great quarterback" and praising the Pegulas for their success.
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The Patriots Connection (and the Falling Out)
For a long time, if you asked anyone in the know, they’d tell you Trump was a New England Patriots guy. It wasn't because he grew up in Boston—he’s a Queens native, after all—but because of his deep personal friendships with the "Holy Trinity" of the Patriots dynasty:
- Robert Kraft: The owner who was a "social friend" for decades.
- Bill Belichick: The stoic coach who famously wrote Trump a letter of support in 2016.
- Tom Brady: The G.O.A.T. who had a "Make America Great Again" hat in his locker before it was even a thing.
During his presidency, it was common to see Trump praising the Patriots. He’d host them at the White House and talk about how they were "winners." But like many things in his life, those relationships got complicated. After the events of January 6th, Robert Kraft publicly distanced himself, later saying they hadn't spoken in years. Brady, too, has been pretty quiet about the friendship lately.
The Team He "Owned" (Sort Of)
You can't talk about Trump and football without mentioning the New Jersey Generals. This wasn't an NFL team; it was part of the USFL (United States Football League) in the 1980s.
Trump bought the Generals and treated them like an NFL franchise. He signed Heisman winner Doug Flutie and legendary running back Herschel Walker. His goal was never just to run a spring league team; he wanted to force the NFL to merge with the USFL so he could get his team into the big leagues on the cheap.
He eventually convinced the other USFL owners to move their games to the fall to compete directly with the NFL. It was a disaster. The USFL sued the NFL for antitrust violations and won... but the jury only awarded them $1 in damages (which became $3 with interest). The league folded, and Trump’s dreams of being an NFL owner in New York or New Jersey evaporated.
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So, Who Does He Actually Root For?
If you're looking for a "home team," you'd expect the New York Giants or the New York Jets. He’s spent most of his life in Manhattan, and he’s been spotted at both stadiums over the decades.
However, his relationship with the New York teams is... prickly. He once signed New York Giants star Lawrence Taylor to a future contract for the Generals, only to sell the rights back to the Giants for a massive fee. It was a brilliant business move, but it didn't exactly make him many friends in the Giants' front office.
Lately, his "fandom" seems to follow specific people rather than logos.
- The Kansas City Chiefs: He’s expressed a lot of admiration for Patrick Mahomes.
- The Dallas Cowboys: He has a long-standing, weirdly competitive friendship with Jerry Jones. He almost bought the Cowboys back in 1984 for $50 million but passed because he thought it was a bad investment. (Today, they’re worth over $10 billion. Oops.)
- The Baltimore Ravens: Just recently, in early 2026, he was very vocal about John Harbaugh being a "winner" after the Ravens moved on from him, urging other teams to hire him immediately.
Why It’s Never Just About the Game
For Donald Trump, the NFL is a mirror of his own brand. He likes teams that win, owners who are powerful, and players who are "tough." When the league introduced new kickoff rules or when players began kneeling during the national anthem, he didn't hesitate to call for a boycott.
He’s a fan of the spectacle of the NFL more than the teams themselves. He treats the league like a rival business as much as a source of entertainment.
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Real Insights for the Casual Fan
If you’re trying to figure out which jersey he’d wear to a Super Bowl party, here’s the breakdown:
- Buffalo Bills: This is the "One That Got Away." He respects their success and loves their star QB.
- New England Patriots: The former favorite. The ties are frayed, but the history of the "dynasty" still appeals to him.
- The "Winner" of the Week: Trump is a front-runner. If a team is winning and their owner is a donor or a friend, that’s his team for the night.
Basically, Trump doesn't "root" for teams the way we do. He doesn't sit on the couch in a jersey eating wings. He views the NFL through the lens of power, ownership, and personal loyalty.
If you want to stay updated on his latest sports takes, your best bet is to keep an eye on his social media during the playoffs. He usually picks a horse in the race based on who he thinks is "strong" or who has treated him well in the press.
To understand his mindset better, you can look into his 2014 bid for the Bills. It’s the closest he ever got to the inner circle, and it explains a lot about why he talks about the league the way he does today. Reading the court documents from his New York civil trial actually reveals a lot of the "behind the scenes" of that bid, including how much he actually valued the team versus how much he told the banks they were worth.