Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump said he’d love to have legendary former football coach and “total winner” Mike Ditka “involved in some capacity,” he told the Chicago Sun-Times on Tuesday.
Ditka has made headlines for his politically charged comments, including calling efforts to change the name of the Washington Redskins “so much horse shit.” He also had said that he was “embarrassed” for the St. Louis Rams players who made a “hands up don’t shoot” gesture during a game in light of the Ferguson, Missouri killing of an unarmed teen by a police officer.
Ditka once even quipped that he could have beaten President Obama in Illinois’ 2004 U.S. Senate race.
In an interview published Sunday by the Sun-Times, Ditka said that he liked Trump.
“I do like Donald Trump. Sometimes, I think he has to think a little more before he says things, but I think he’s on the right track,” Ditka told the newspaper. “I think he has the fire in his belly to make America great again, and he’ll probably do it the right way. I do like him.”
Trump responded to Ditka’s comments in a phone interview with the Sun-Times.
“I have always loved Mike Ditka,” Trump told the newspaper. “He is what toughness is all about. When he was coach there was total respect.”
“Our country needs smartness and toughness. Other countries don’t respect us any longer. If I win, that will change very quickly. Mike’s kind of attitude and personality is what our country needs as its representative,” Trump said. “I’d love to have Mike involved in some capacity. Why? Because Mike knows how to win and our politicians don’t.”
