Trump Remembers Bobby Knight

Source: Andrew Harnik / Getty

WASHINGTON – Former President Donald Trump spent part of his speech at the Justice Department on Friday remembering Bobby Knight, the longtime Indiana Hoosiers basketball coach who died in November 2023.

“He wanted to endorse me,” Trump said. “He called me about two years before I decided to run in 2016. I said, ‘Is this really Bobby Knight?’ I could tell it was Bobby Knight.”

Knight backed Trump during his first presidential run in 2016 and remained a supporter until his passing. Trump spoke for about 10 minutes about Knight’s legacy, his leadership style, and their relationship.

“If you remember, he made a great speech because he was a motivational guy, to put it mildly,” Trump said.

Knight’s backing gave Trump a big boost in the 2016 race, helping him lock down the Republican nomination. Even though Indiana University let him go in 2000 for what they called bad behavior, Knight was still a legend in basketball-loving Indiana. His endorsement helped Trump win the Indiana primary, which played a key role in securing the nomination.

“Having Bobby Knight’s endorsement in Indiana was an extremely good thing,” Trump added.

Trump was the first president in a decade to visit the Justice Department. The last time was in 2015 when Barack Obama stopped by to honor Attorney General Eric Holder as he wrapped up his time in the job. Trump had been indicted by the DOJ a couple of times in 2024, but those cases were dropped when he took office.