HOUSTON (CBS) – President Donald Trump is picking the New England Patriots to win Super Bowl LI, and is also bringing up his friendship with the faces of the organization once again.
The president told Bill O’Reilly of Fox News in a pre-game interview that he hates to make predictions, but the Patriots will win by eight points. Las Vegas has New England favored by about three points.
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“I like Bob Kraft, I like Coach Belichick and Tom Brady is my friend,” Trump said. “You have to stick up for your friends, right?”
Trump has talked plenty about his relationship with the team owner, coach and quarterback and continued to do so on Sunday. Some fans have used the team’s ties to the polarizing president as a reason to root against the Patriots.
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“Tom’s a winner. The coach is a great coach,” Trump said. “They’re taking a lot of heat, but you know what, they’re also getting a lot of popularity out of it.”
Though he also called the Atlanta Falcons “fantastic,” the president said he thinks this game will come down to experience.
“There’s less pressure on the Patriots because they’ve been there,” Trump said. “Once you’ve done it there’s a lot less pressure.”