Is Tom Brady a Trump Supporter? He and the Former POTUS Are Old Golfing Buddies

As a general rule of thumb, most professional athletes tend to stay away from politics — and this includes Tom Brady. Although the Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback has been directly asked whether he supported the 45th president of the United States when Donald Trump was still in office, Brady seemed to dance around the answer.

So is he a Trump supporter?

Honestly, it's hard to say.

In September 2015 — just months after Trump announced he was running in the 2016 election — Tom was asked about the red MAGA hat spotted in his locker.

“[Trump] sent it to me via [Robert Kraft]. I’ve known him since 2002 when I judged one of his beauty pageants," Tom explained. "Imagine that. I was a judge at a Miss USA pageant in 2002. So, I’ve known him for a long time and he always gives me a call with different types of motivational speeches at different times.”

Later that same month, Tom was asked whether he really thought Trump could win. “I hope so,” he told reporters. “It would be great. There would be a putting green on the White House lawn, I can tell you that.”

Of the MAGA hat, he added, "I thought it was a nice keepsake. It could be a nice piece of memorabilia.”

In December 2015, Tom was asked if he was going to vote for Trump — and he effectively skirted around the issue by mentioning they were old golfing buddies.

“I don’t know. Am I going to vote for him? That’s a good question," he said at the time. "He’s a good friend and we’ve had a lot of time on the golf course together over the years."

Tom doubled down on his support for Trump later that December.

“Donald is a good friend of mine. I have known him for a long time. I support all my friends. That is what I have to say," he said. “I support all my friends in everything they do. I think it’s pretty remarkable what he’s achieved in his life. You’re going from business, kind of an incredible businessman and then a TV star, and then getting into politics. It’s three different career paths. I think that is pretty remarkable.”

Since then (for the most part), Tom has avoided questions specifically about the former POTUS. The quarterback most recently dodged a question pertaining to his support of Trump in January 2021. (See below.)

During a segment on SNL called "What Still Works?" Kate McKinnon took on the role of the host of a fake current events talk show host who explored what was and wasn't working in American society. Out of everything — the U.S. government, the stock market, social media, and the COVID-19 vaccine rollout — the only thing that still worked in the U.S. was Tom Brady. 

Despite the fact that literally no one is rooting for him to win yet another Super Bowl, the quarterback still had Kate's support. "I'll be rooting for you, Tom Brady, because you're the only goddamn thing this country can still rely on," she told him. "And it's not like you're a weird Trump guy or anything, right?"

After pausing for just a moment too long, "Tom" (played by John Krasinski) responded with, "Thanks for having me," and then swiftly exited the stage.

Still, the question remains: Is Tom Brady a Trump supporter?

Although they've been friends for years — and Tom had initially expressed support for his pal — the quarterback has stopped short of declaring that Trump definitely had his vote. 

Whether this was because Tom feared backlash from fans because he did agree with Trump's politics or because he was politically against what Trump stood for, but still wanted to remain friends with him, the world may never know.