Nick Saban to speak at Donald Trump address in Alabama amid protest fears
college football
head coach
Nick Saban
will be joining President
Donald Trump
at the
University of Alabama
this week for a special commencement ceremony for the class of 2025.
It was announced last week that the 47th U.S. President will be speaking to students in Coleman Coliseum on Thursday, May 1, for the special occasion, where he will now be joined by none other than
one of the institution's very best
in Saban,
who led the university's football team to six national championships
across a near-two decade spell between 2007 to 2023.
The 73-year-old, who was inducted into the
Alabama
Sports Hall of Fame in 2013, is sure to be
a big hit with students and other attendees
on the day as he returns to campus - something the university will be hoping plays into its hands amid fears of the event, which starts at 6:30pm, drawing many
anti-Trump protests
.
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The state of Alabama has traditionally shown strong support for the 78-year-old but these protests are likely to involve both students and prominent outsiders. One such protest, dubbed "Tide Against Trump," is being organized by the UA College Democrats and is set to take place at Snow Hinton Park from 5-7pm.
The demonstration will feature speeches from former
Texas
Congressman Beto O'Rourke and former Alabama U.S. Sen. Doug Jones. The student organization has expressed strong opposition to Trump's attendance, labeling it an "insult" and stating that "UA is not a fascist playground."
Earlier this year, however, Trump
issued a ban on what he referred to as "illegal protests"
, insisting that schools or colleges that experience these protests will lose all federal funding. He's made it clear in the past that protests against him are not appreciated, despite
his party's insistence on the importance of free speech in the US
.
Trump previously welcomed coach Saban and the Crimson Tide to the White House to celebrate the team's national championship success in 2017
The U.S. President took to his own social media site Truth Social in March to share quite a chilling statement, where he warned that students caught taking part in these protests would be expelled or arrested, while also mentioning that "agitators will be permanently sent back to the country from which they came".
Not long after, though,
educators and legal experts debunked Trump's warning
, insisting his claim has no legal standing. "Trump's threat should chill and
enrage anyone who cares about the First Amendment
," Gregory Magarian, a Washington University Professor of Law, said.
"The First Amendment absolutely prohibits law enforcement from declaring an assembly unlawful because of the assembly's message — because, for example, an assembly happens to be a protest," Magarian explained, before also giving insight on Trump's goal to imprison, deport or expel 'agitators.'
As for Saban, he's generally steered clear of politics, with the exception of supporting his childhood friend, U.S. Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia. However, the Alabama Democratic Party hinted in 2024 that it would welcome him running for the U.S. Senate against Tuberville under its banner.
Trump previously issued a chilling warning to students planning on protesting at school or college
(Image: Getty Images)
During a conference call in 2020, Trump, while endorsing former Auburn coach Tommy Tuberville's U.S. Senate run, mistakenly referred to Saban by the wrong name. "He's great, Lou Saban, what a great job he's done," Trump commented during his first presidential term.
In light of Thursday's event, which will also include remarks from University President Stuart R. Bell, who stepped down earlier this year after 10 years, additional security measures will be in place and attendees have been advised to arrive at least two hours early.
The university announced that students due to graduate in the spring will have priority seating on the night, with their guests also receiving complimentary tickets. Graduates from the summer and fall semesters, along with their guests, will also be eligible for free tickets. The rest of the student body, faculty, and staff can obtain tickets on a first-come-first-serve basis.
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Irish Times
15 minutes ago
- Irish Times
Russia tries to align stars for historic deal with Trump at Alaska summit
As allies of US president Donald Trump try to reassure Kyiv and other European capitals that he will not do anything rash at Friday's summit in Alaska, Russia wants the talks to mark a dramatic – even historic – shift in relations between the nuclear powers. US secretary of state Marco Rubio has said it will be just a 'feel-out meeting', and White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt has called it a 'listening exercise,' amid concerns that Trump and Russian president Vladimir Putin could make sweeping decisions about the war in Ukraine and the continent's security without Kyiv or Europe being at the table. The rhetoric in Russia is very different. The Kremlin often says that Putin sees no point in talks for the sake of talks, and Moscow expects the summit to deliver concrete benefits that were unimaginable before Trump returned to power in January. 'The Alaska summit could be historic in terms of delivering complex solutions to key problems. Including in Russian-American relations,' said Leonid Slutsky, chairman of the foreign relations committee in Russia's lower house of parliament. READ MORE 'Most constructive politicians in the world are hoping for this ... At the same time, putting pressure on our country or speaking in the language of ultimatums is useless.' Politicians and state media in Moscow say the summit could deliver not only a favourable outcome to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, but set the stage for grand US-Russia agreements on everything from arms control to co-operation in the Arctic. Kirill Dmitriev, the senior Russian finance official and former Goldman Sachs banker who has become a key point man in Moscow for Trump's team, said the choice of Alaska as the summit venue had particular significance. 'Born as Russian America – Orthodox roots, forts, fur trade – Alaska echoes those ties and makes the US an Arctic nation. Let Russia and the US partner on environment, infrastructure and energy in Arctic and beyond,' he wrote on social media. Dmitriev described Alaska – a Russian colony from 1799 to 1867 – as the 'perfect stage' for the summit, because of its history and its location as the closest US point to Russia, where they are separated by the Bering Strait and the international date line. 'Let us go from yesterday to tomorrow in peace,' he said. [ Why Putin has good reasons to be hopeful for Friday's summit meeting with Trump Opens in new window ] Dmitriev's posts on X relentlessly amplify Maga talking points: that Trump and Putin want peace and their critics are warmongers; media that question Trump's attitude to Russia are the same ones that pushed the 'Russia hoax' about alleged collusion between the Trump camp and Moscow in 2016; advocates of tougher action against Russia are repeating the 'failed' policy of Trump's predecessor, Joe Biden. 'Neocons and other warmongers won't be smiling on Aug 15, 2025. Putin-Trump dialogue will bring hope, peace and global security,' he wrote. In a subsequent post, referring to one of Trump's books, he said: 'The Art of the Deal on Friday August 15.' The Art of the Deal on Friday August 15. — Kirill A. Dmitriev (@kadmitriev) Russia has been assiduously preparing the ground for the sort of deal, or deals, that it desires from the summit. Over several months this year, Kyiv and Europe strengthened co-ordination with the White House over the war in Ukraine, as Trump become increasingly annoyed by what he called Putin's 'bullshit' on the issue. Putin changed the mood music simply by agreeing to meet. It prompted Trump to quietly shelve plans to impose sanctions on all countries that buy Russian oil, and pitched Ukraine and Europe back into the position of trying to rein in Trump – a dynamic that is only likely to renew friction between the US and its erstwhile allies. Putin has also brought Trump to the table without agreeing to a ceasefire or any concessions. Russia still demands permanent control of five regions of Ukraine and limits on its future sovereignty, including a ban on joining Nato. Kyiv says that would be a capitulation, and European states insist borders cannot be changed by force – leaving them vulnerable to allegations from Moscow and some US politicians that they are blocking a deal and should be ignored by America's self-declared 'president of peace'. Moscow also knows that Trump wants a bigger US role in the resource-rich and strategic far north – having threatened to take over Greenland – and more than half the entire coastline of the Arctic Ocean is Russian territory. 'It is in Alaska and in the Arctic that the economic interests of our countries converge and prospects for implementing large-scale mutually beneficial projects arise,' said senior Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov. Trump said last month that he wanted to begin work on arms control with Moscow before the expiry next February of the 2010 New Start agreement, which is the last remaining US-Russia nuclear arms pact. The Kremlin flagged the issue last week by saying it had scrapped a self-imposed moratorium on deployment of short- and mid-range missiles and would now place them wherever it liked, in response to alleged US threats in Europe and Asia. On the battlefield too, Moscow is trying to strengthen its position before the summit. In recent days, Russian troops have pierced a section of the front line in eastern Ukraine and advanced about 10km near the mining town of Dobropillia, as they try to encircle the nearby small cities of Pokrovsk and Kostyantynivka and put more pressure on Kyiv's two main strongholds in Donetsk region – the cities of Slovyansk and Kramatorsk. Kyiv says these are very small groups, moving on foot or in light vehicles, who cannot hold territory but aim to sow chaos behind the front line and – above all – give the impression that Ukraine's defences are collapsing on the eve of the summit. Russian media claim Ukrainian troops are nearly surrounded in some areas, which Kyiv denies. It recalls how Trump said in March that he had asked Putin to spare the lives of 'thousands' of Ukrainian soldiers who were supposedly encircled in Russia's Kursk region. The claim was false, but no one in Trump's administration acknowledged that fact or explained why Trump was unquestioningly repeating Kremlin propaganda. While Moscow's preparations for the summit have been meticulous, Washington's look haphazard, even amateurish. The meeting was agreed when Steve Witkoff, one of Trump's special envoys, visited Moscow last week. US and European media reports say Witkoff – a real-estate developer and donor to Trump's re-election campaign – may have misunderstood Putin's position on Ukraine. He has also been accused of parroting positions espoused by the Kremlin. To compound the sense of chaos, Trump has placed inexperienced loyalists in important intelligence and foreign policy roles, and approved massive cuts at the state department that have culled many of its analysts on Ukraine and Russia. With so many factors in its favour, Russia wants to strike a deal now, not least to gain relief from western sanctions that are combining with high inflation and labour shortages to slowly strangle its economy. Ukrainian drone strikes on oil facilities are also taking their toll, and petrol prices in Russia are now at record highs despite an export ban. Russia's main stock market reflects the national mood, having surged by more than 8 per cent since the summit was announced. 'Everyone is expecting a breakthrough in Russia-US relations,' said Alexei Antonov at Moscow investment firm Alor Broker, 'and also the beginning of a resolution to the Ukrainian problem.'
Irish Examiner
2 hours ago
- Irish Examiner
Trump wants Ukraine to have say on territory talks with Russia, Macron says
US president Donald Trump has said Ukraine must be involved in talks about land in any truce deal with Russia, French President Emmanuel Macron said on Wednesday, suggesting Kyiv and its European allies had got their message across before a superpower summit. The comments were among the first indications of what came out of talks between Trump, European leaders and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, intended to influence Trump as he prepares to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska on Friday. Trump's insistence on involving Ukraine, if confirmed, could bring a measure of relief to Ukraine and its allies, who have feared that Trump and Putin could reach a deal that sells out Europe's and Ukraine's security interests and proposes to carve up Ukrainian territory. Trump and Putin are due to discuss how to end the three-and-a-half-year-old conflict, the biggest in Europe since World War Two. Trump has said both sides will have to swap land to end fighting that has cost tens of thousands of lives and displaced millions. On a day of intense diplomacy, Zelenskyy flew into Berlin for German-hosted virtual meetings with European leaders and then with Trump. The Europeans worry that a land swap could leave Russia with almost a fifth of Ukraine, rewarding it for almost 11 years of efforts to seize Ukrainian territory, and embolden Putin to expand further west into the future. "The second point on which things were very clear, as expressed by President Trump, is that territories belonging to Ukraine cannot be negotiated and will only be negotiated by the Ukrainian president," Macron said. "There are currently no serious territorial exchange schemes on the table." German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Trump would prioritise reaching a ceasefire on Friday, adding that there was no question of legally recognising Russia's territorial holdings. Zelenskyy said there should be a three-way meeting between himself, Putin and Trump. Merz said Ukraine was prepared to negotiate on territorial issues, but "legal recognition of Russian occupation is not up for debate". "If the United States of America now works towards a peace in Ukraine that safeguards European and Ukrainian interests, he can count on our full support in this endeavour," Merz said at a joint press conference with Zelenskyy. - Reuters
RTÉ News
2 hours ago
- RTÉ News
Zelensky says he warned Trump that Putin is 'bluffing'
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said he hopes talks between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin this week will centre on a ceasefire, adding that he warned Mr Trump that Mr Putin was "bluffing" about his desire to end the war. "I told the US president and all our European colleagues that Putin is bluffing," he said at a joint briefing in Berlin with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz. "He is trying to apply pressure before the meeting in Alaska along all parts of the Ukrainian front. Russia is trying to show that it can occupy all of Ukraine." Mr Zelensky added that he wanted a three-leader meeting, saying no talks about Ukraine should exclude Kyiv. Speaking following this afternoon's meeting, French President Emmanuel Macron said that Mr Trump said Ukraine must be involved in talks about territory in any ceasefire deal with Russia. The comments were the first indication of what came out of talks between Mr Trump, European leaders, and Mr Zelensky intended to shape Mr Trump's meeting with Mr Putin. Mr Trump's insistence on involving Ukraine, if confirmed, could bring a measure of relief to Ukraine and its allies, who have feared that Mr Trump and Mr Putin could reach a deal that sells out Europe's and Ukraine's security interests and proposes to carve up Ukraine's territory. Mr Trump and Mr Putin are due to meet in Alaska on Friday for talks on how to end the three-and-a-half-year-old conflict, the biggest in Europe since World War Two. Mr Trump has said both sides will have to swap land to end fighting that has cost tens of thousands of lives and displaced millions. On a day of intense diplomacy, Mr Zelensky flew into Berlin for German-hosted virtual meetings with European leaders and then with Mr Trump. The Europeans worry that a land swap could leave Russia with almost a fifth of Ukraine and embolden Mr Putin to expand further west into the future. Since announcing the Alaska summit, Mr Trump has played down expectations for the talks, saying it would be a "feel-out" meeting as he seeks to end Moscow's war on Ukraine. In a first video conference earlier, Mr Zelensky and his host, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, met the leaders of Finland, France, Britain, Italy, Poland and the European Union as well as NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte to discuss their pitch to Mr Trump and try and shape the outcome of Friday's summit. Mr Trump and Vice President JD Vance later joined the conversation, according to a source familiar with the situation. The unpredictability of the summit in Alaska has fuelled Europeans' fears that the US and Russia could take far-reaching decisions over their heads and even seek to coerce Ukraine into an unfavourable deal. "We are focusing now to ensure that it does not happen - engaging with US partners and staying coordinated and united on the European side," said one senior official from Eastern Europe. Wary of angering Mr Trump, European leaders have repeatedly said they welcome his efforts while stressing that there should be no deal about Ukraine without Ukraine's participation. Watch: Meeting to gain 'better understanding' of conflict - White House Mr Trump's administration tempered expectations on Tuesday, telling reporters the summit would be a "listening exercise" for him to hear what it would take to get to a deal. Mr Trump's agreement last week to the summit was an abrupt shift after weeks of voicing frustration with Mr Putin for resisting the US peace initiative. Mr Trump said his envoy had made "great progress" at talks in Moscow. Half a dozen senior European officials told Reuters that they see a risk of a deal being struck that is unfavourable for Europe and Ukraine's security. They said European unity would be vital if that happened. Battlefield pressure mounts on Ukraine A Gallup poll released last week found that 69% of Ukrainians favour a negotiated end to the war as soon as possible. But polls also indicate Ukrainians do not want peace at any cost if that means crushing concessions. Ahead of the calls, Mr Zelensky said it would be impossible for Kyiv to agree to a deal that would require it to withdraw its troops from the eastern Donbas region, a large swathe of which is already occupied by Russia. That, he told reporters yesterday, would deprive Ukraine of a vast defensive network in the region, easing the way for a Russian push deeper into Ukraine in the future. He said territorial issues could only be discussed once a ceasefire was in place and Ukraine had received security guarantees. Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Alexei Fadeev said Moscow's stance had not changed since it was set out by Mr Putin in June 2024. As preconditions for a ceasefire and the start of negotiations, the Kremlin leader had demanded that Ukraine withdraw its forces from four regions that Russia has claimed as its own but does not fully control, and formally renounce its plans to join NATO. Kyiv swiftly rejected the conditions as tantamount to surrender. Russia makes biggest 24-hour Ukraine advance in over a year The Russian army made its biggest 24-hour advance into Ukraine in over a year just ahead of the Trump-Putin summit, according to an AFP analysis of data from the US-based Institute for the Study of War. The Russian army took or claimed 110 square kilometres on 12 August compared to the previous day. It was the most since late May 2024. In recent months, Moscow has typically taken five or six days to progress at such a pace, although Russian advances have accelerated in recent weeks. The US and Russian presidents, Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin, are to meet in Alaska on Friday. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky acknowledged yesterday that Russian troops had advanced by up to 10 kilometres near the eastern coal mining town of Dobropillia, but that Kyiv would soon "destroy them." Russia said earlier that it had taken two villages close to Dobropillia. About 70% of Russia's advances in Ukraine so far this year are in the Donetsk region in eastern Ukraine, which the Kremlin claimed to have annexed in September 2022. As of 12 August, Moscow controlled or claimed to control 79% of the region, up from 62% a year ago. The Russian army has also been attempting to seize the mining town of Pokrovsk for more than 18 months, following its capture of Bakhmut in May 2023. The last two major cities held by Kyiv in the region are also at risk. They are Sloviansk and Kramatorsk, which is an important logistical hub for the front. Russian progress in Ukraine has accelerated every month since April. Between 12 August 2024 and 12 August 2025, the Russian army captured more than 6,100sq/km, four times more than the previous year, according to the AFP analysis of the institute's data. However, these Russian advances account for less than 1% of pre-war Ukraine's territory, including Crimea and Donbass.
