Pat McAfee hits back at criticism over Patriot Games appearance with Donald Trump

Pat McAfee has fired back at online critics after he appeared alongside Donald Trump at the Patriot Games.

The US president travelled to Ohio earlier this week to watch high school students compete the sporting event set up by his administration to celebrate the 250th anniversary of America.

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Two teenagers, a boy and a girl aged 14 to 17, were picked from every state to compete in the games from August 9-11.

Some military bases, Native American tribes and other US territories were also invited to participate, with track and field activities, dodgeball and kickball among the sports played.

The Patriot Games have aired live on ESPN’s app, and the network will broadcast an hour-long primetime special on Thursday to wrap it all up.

Pat McAfee hits back at criticism of Patriot Games appearance

McAfee, who is soon to be one of ESPN’s top-paid broadcasters, was seen alongside Trump during the finale on Tuesday.

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A White House social media account posted a video of former NFL punter welcoming the president on the tarmac in Cleveland, before he joined the president for his walkout at the games.

The event broadcast later showed McAfee sitting with Trump as they watched the students compete for $125,000 in scholarship money.

His appearance quickly made waves online, with many criticising the photos he shared, celebrating Trump and the event.

Returning to his show 24 hours later, the Indianapolis Colts icon responded to backlash.

“I think this is an initiative that is going to continue. I think this is a big deal,” he began, days after Aaron Rodgers used the same platform to air some controversial grievances.

“And anything that is going to amplify or encourage the next generation to remain active and competitive, I think that is a huge thing I will be a part of.”

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McAfee then went on to directly address his appearance alongside the president, with ESPN also facing a fan boycott over a potential Trump decision.

“I do appreciate how people feel towards their politics and everything else; I do respect it,” he added.

“But there’s some absurd things when it’s like, it’s not just me. We’re trying to create something here for the next generation. We’re trying to give back from our community and our world, sports and fitness.

“Once this thing settles in and this Patriot Games thing goes for ten, 20 years, which I’m hoping happens no matter who’s president, I think this will be something that we look back and say, ‘This was inevitably good.'”

Pat McAfee turns ‘hate’ into inspiration for debut album

During the segment, McAfee also touched on reception he’s received as a public figure, and reminded his audience of his upcoming musical debut.

The former NFL star is set to release his debut album, The Diary of a Polarizing Figure, on August 14.

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He said: “There’s a lot of people upset. Any time, obviously, you have the president doing anything, especially President Trump… any time he’s a part of something, it’s going to be very loud.

“And there’s some people saying some really mean stuff to me. Diary of a Polarizing Figure out Friday… it will address a lot of this, and it kind of is what my life is.”

In a social media post shared the same day, he also hit back at ‘grotesque’ and ‘potentially lawsuit worthy’ allegations a follower levelled at him on X after the Patriot Games.

“We’ll have the lawyers look into that next week after… The Diary of a Polarizing Figure drops FRIDAY,” he wrote, quoting the user’s post.

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McAfee, clearly, is all in on the Patriot Games.

And if some of his followers have a problem with that, he probably won’t have any hesitation in turning that into fuel for his future musical endeavors.