Jaxson Dart, Abdul Carter explain their viewpoints on Giants QB's Donald Trump introduction

One week after Jaxson Dart introduced President Donald Trump at a New York rally, Giants players and head coach John Harbaugh addressed Dart’s decision and his teammate’s public response.

Dart’s fellow 2025 Giants first-round draft pick Abdul Carter initially tweeted “thought this s*** was AI, what we doing man,” before later tweeting “Me and JD6 are good! We spoke earlier as Men. Yall can keep yall narratives.”

Dart explained why he posted publicly rather than speak only with Dart directly.

"Some things are bigger than football, and this is one of those things,” Carter told reporters Friday after practice. “Jaxson is one of our leaders. He's the face of our franchise. He not only represents himself in what he does, but he represents all of us. And that goes for anybody who wears a Giants uniform. 

“But if he chooses to align himself with a man like President Trump, it's my responsibility based on what I believe and what I stand on to not only show my teammates that I'm against that, but to show the world. That doesn't mean that we have to spread hate. That doesn't mean that me and Jaxson hate each other or we have beef. 

“I sit next to Jaxson every day, every team meeting. We're close. We talk. As long as we make sure we have the same goal as a team, and our goals align — which they do — then I feel like that's all that matters. So I just want to move past this."

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The Giants met Tuesday, Harbaugh said, to discuss the introduction and response. Harbaugh described the teamwide conversation as “a really good opportunity” to establish how players under the league’s brightest spotlight want to interact with each other and the world. The meeting “wasn’t real long,” Harbaugh said, but “players established amongst themselves how they want to approach these things [as] part of the dialogue in our society.”

Addressing reporters Friday, Dart cited his love for the country and family military history as reasons that “the presidential position has always been one I’ve respected regardless of political affiliation.”

“I also understand in this world, politics can be a sensitive matter, a sensitive topic,” Dart said in a statement spanning more than 4 minutes. “I also understand that I am the quarterback of the New York Giants, and that involves a lot of responsibility, and it’s under a limelight, under a microscope. And there’s a lot that comes with that and it’s been something I’ve embraced.”

The Giants “had a lot of honest conversations with each other as a team,” Dart said, the details of which he would keep “private between me and my teammates.”

“I think the connections that we build are special because we’re able to have vulnerable conversations,” Dart said. “… I can honestly say I love every single one of my brothers, my teammates on this team. Regardless of politics, regardless of religious beliefs, regardless of anything that may be different between us. I love them and they know exactly what type of person I am.”

The Giants selected Carter third overall in the 2025 NFL Draft. The Penn State outside linebacker started six games as a rookie, tallying 43 tackles, 23 quarterback hits, four sacks, two forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries.

The Giants selected Dart with the 25th overall pick of the 2025 NFL Draft, Dart earning the starting job more quickly than expected among a room with Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston. The Ole Miss product started 12 games and completed 63.7% of his pass attempts for 2,272 yards, 15 touchdowns and five interceptions as a rookie. He also rushed for 487 yards and nine touchdowns.

The Giants are entering their first season under Harbaugh, whom Trump posted to social media endorsing before the Giants made the hire.

“I’ve been somebody who’s always respected the different perspectives people may have, the backgrounds they come from,” Dart said. “We have such a cool opportunity to be in the locker room where it’s a melting pot of people from everywhere and we get to be together.”

Dart said he looked forward to continuing to build the Giants’ culture.

“Obviously we understand the biggest goal is to be the best team we can be, to put ourselves in the best position to succeed, to chase a championship,” Dart said. “That’s our focus going forward each and every day.”