Trump agrees to Super Bowl interview with NBC News' Tom Llamas
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President Trump at the White House on Tuesday. Photo: Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images
President Trump will sit down for an interview with NBC News' Tom Llamas on Wednesday, with a portion set to air during the network's Super Bowl LX pre-game show Sunday.
Why it matters: Trump opted out of the Super Bowl-week tradition in 2018, the last time NBC hosted the game when he was in office.
- The four major U.S. broadcasters Fox, NBC, CBS and ABC air the Super Bowl on a rotating schedule.
Catch up quick: Last year, Trump sat down with Bret Baier for a pre-taped interview that aired during Fox's pregame show for Super Bowl LIX.
- Trump's first Super Bowl back in office coinciding with Fox's broadcast last year is fortuitous, given the president's friendly relationship with the network, Axios' Sara Fischer noted.
- NBC was the only network Trump skipped during his first term, agreeing to interviews with Fox in 2017 and 2020, and CBS in 2019.
- Former President Biden opted out of the pre-game interviews in 2023 and 2024 with Fox and CBS, respectively.
The big picture: The interview comes as the Trump administration's deportation push faces growing scrutiny after the fatal shootings of Renée Good and Alex Pretti.
- Congress reached a deal Tuesday to reopen the government after a shutdown fight over funding for the Department of Homeland Security and reforms for ICE and Customs and Border Protection.
Zoom in: NBC will air a portion on "Nightly News" at 6:30pm ET Wednesday and an extended version on "Top Story with Tom Llamas" on its streaming news channel NBC News NOW at 7pm ET.
- Llamas succeeded longtime anchor Lester Holt at "Nightly News" in June.
The bottom line: This weekend was already set to be a ratings juggernaut for NBC as it is set to broadcast both the Super Bowl and the Winter Olympics. A presidential interview further cements lofty ratings expectations.
Go deeper: Local, federal leaders say Super Bowl security won't involve ICE
