Donald Trump attends a lot more sporting events than most presidents do, including a trip last year where he became the first sitting president to attend the Super Bowl. Trump also plans to host a mixed-martial arts event at the White House later this year, on his birthday.
Now, Trump is taking things a step further by promising an executive order related to broadcasts of the annual Army-Navy Game, which he also attended last year.
Trump went on Truth Social and stated that he planned to “sign a Historic Executive Order securing an EXCLUSIVE 4-hour Broadcast window” for the Army-Navy Game, so that no other games could be played at the same time.
“The Army-Navy Game is one of our Greatest American Traditions — Unmatched Patriotism, Courage, and Honor! This incredible Tradition is now at risk of being pushed aside by more College Playoff Games and Big TV Money. NOT ANYMORE!,” Trump wrote.
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The annual football game has traditionally had that weekend to itself. But with more expansion planned for the College Football Playoff, there’s a chance that games would need to be played on that weekend. Last year, minor bowl games called the Bucked Up LA Bowl and the Cricket Celebration Bowl were played on the same day as the Army-Navy Game.
Amid CFP expansion negotiations that may impact the Army-Navy game, Donald Trump says he will sign an executive order to grant the game an exclusive 4-hour window.
Discussions over a 16-team CFP feature two play-in games – seeds 16 vs 13 & 15 vs 14 – on the day of Army-Navy. pic.twitter.com/Gz1e6eycAx
— Ross Dellenger (@RossDellenger) January 18, 2026
The problem, as numerous people pointed out, is that the president has historically never had the power to use an executive order to make rules about what TV networks can broadcast and when. Trump’s FCC has been much more forceful than most about demanding specific programming decisions, including the infamous failed attempt last year to get late night host Jimmy Kimmel removed from ABC’s airwaves.
Stayed up late to understand: why did Trump just order TV networks to “protect” the Army-Navy football game?
Answer: a scheduling fight sparked by College Football Playoff expansion.
(But Trump’s planned EO is probably illegal, multiple experts said.)https://t.co/HTapfnptBD
— Dan Diamond (@ddiamond) January 18, 2026
But even with the most charitable interpretation, that would only apply to broadcast networks and not to cable or streaming. The College Football Playoff’s main programming partner is ESPN, which is a cable network, although some of the games air on ABC. CNN noted that the move “would be beneficial to Paramount Skydance-owned CBS, which has exclusive rights to the Army-Navy Game through 2038.”
Photo courtesy of the Political Tribune media library.
