WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump on Monday remarked that Jan. 20 – the day he was sworn into office for the second time – was a “big day for all of us” as he welcomed Ohio State University’s 2024 championship football team to the White House to celebrate their national title win on the same day. 

In a fun-filled South Lawn ceremony on Monday – which Trump declared a “proud day” not only for the scarlet and gray but for “all of us” – the president lauded Ohio State’s 2024 victory in January as a “total team effort.” 

“You are a very special team from a special state,” Trump proclaimed. 

The Buckeyes took down the Notre Dame Fighting Irish 34-23 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta three months ago to win the 2024 national championship title in the first year the College Football Playoff expanded to 12 teams. 

Trump noted his vice president and former senator representing Ohio, JD Vance, graduated himself from the university, asserting he was “number one in his class.” The president went on to ask “did you have any better students than him?” before quickly following up with: “better football players, yes.”

The remark perhaps unintentionally foreshadowed a moment to come when Vance – who praised the team as “resilient” and “tough” in his own remarks at Monday's celebration – fumbled the College Football Playoff national title trophy while attempting to hoist the hardware, dropping the black base. 

"I didn't want anyone after Ohio State to get the trophy so I decided to break it," Vance later wrote on social media, making light of the viral moment.

Ohio State University football player TreVeyon Henderson, left, holds the top of the team's championship trophy as Vice President JD Vance reaches to catch it's base after it fell off, as President Donald Trump welcomes the 2025 College Football National Champions during an event on the South Lawn of the White House, Monday, April 14, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

Trump also used the occasion on Monday to declare his “love” for the “great state of Ohio,” noting he won it “in a landslide” in the 2024 presidential election. 

“I love Ohio, we’ll never let you down I swear, I promise,” the president said. 

“And if I let you down, he won’t,” the president continued, appearing to point to Vance. “So you have a backup.” 

In his remarks, the vice president also noted that he made a bet with Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, over the Texas game last season, quipping that he had still not “paid up.” 

In his own remarks, Coach Ryan Day called the visit a “moment we’ll never forget.” 

The president said he planned to take the team to the Oval Office after the ceremony and show them the “Trump touches” he has implemented.