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Three days after addressing his teammates, New York Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart spoke to the media regarding his decision to introduce President Donald Trump at a rally last week with teammate Abdul Carter also speaking and indicating he felt obligated to call out Dart.
“Some things are bigger than football, and this is one of those things,” Carter said Friday. “Jaxson is one of our leaders. He’s the face of our franchise. He not only represents himself and 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. And that doesn’t mean that we have to spread hate. It 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 got the same goal as a team and our goals in line, which they do, I feel like that’s all that matters. So, I just want to move past this.”
Carter spoke after head coach John Harbaugh and Dart initially addressed the media.
The quarterback opened with a statement in which he explained his support for the office of the president and that he was grateful for the chance to take part in the event.
“This was a unique opportunity being asked and given the opportunity to introduce the President of the United States,” Dart said. “My thinking was pretty simple in the fact of I’ve always loved this country. I have extended family members who have fought in wars.
“So, the president position has always been a position that I’ve well-respected, regardless of political affiliation, regardless of political party, and, you know, my intentions were just that. I also understand that in this world, politics can be a sensitive matter — a sensitive topic. I also understand that I am the quarterback of the New York Giants, and that involves a lot of responsibility. It’s under a limelight, under a microscope, and there’s a lot that comes with that, and it’s been something that I’ve embraced. I’ve loved being here. I love the city of New York. I love the [state] of New Jersey, the people that I’ve met here — it’s just been a really amazing experience, and there’s not another place that I’d rather be. Most importantly, the people in this organization, my teammates, the staff, coaches, everybody that has a hand.
“We’ve had a lot of honest conversations with each other as a team, and I’d like to keep those things private between me and my teammates. And just everything that’s been said. But, you know, I love these guys, and going forward, I can’t wait for what more we have to grow the culture of this team, our brotherhood, and, obviously, we understand the biggest goal is to be the best team that we can be, to put ourselves in the best position to succeed, to chase a championship. To be the best players for coach Harbs and all the coaches here, and that’s our focus going forward each and every day. I can’t wait to continue to do that. Appreciate you guys.”
Dart introduced Trump at a rally on Friday, May 22, at Rockland Community College in Suffern, New York. Carter voiced his displeasure about Dart’s participation in a social media post on Saturday.
“Thought this s— was AI, what we doing man,” Carter wrote in a post on X that has since been deleted.
Not long after, Carter followed up with a post that the two were “good” and had spoken “earlier as Men.”
NFL Network Insiders Mike Garafolo and Ian Rapoport reported Thursday that Dart addressed teammates on Tuesday regarding his introduction of Trump, with veteran players Brian Burns, Kayvon Thibodeaux and Jameis Winstonalso reportedly speaking. From the meeting, the team’s focus was on putting the issue behind it and moving forward, while stressing keeping issues internal, according to The Insiders.
“The players established amongst themselves how they wanted to approach these kinds of things that are part of the dialogue in our society, and they did a great job,” Harbaugh said Friday. “I was proud of them. I was impressed by them. Couldn’t have asked for anything better, and so we’re in a good place now, and we’re moving forward.”
Harbaugh, his brother Jim, the Los Angeles Chargers head coach, and assorted family members visited President Trump at the White House in July 2025. President Trump also supported the Giants hiring John as their head coach in a January post on his Trump Social platform.
Following the conclusion of his statement Friday, Dart was asked if he understood why his introduction of the president has resulted in a controversy.
“I respect the question,” Dart, 23, said. “I understand the question. My statement’s all that I have, for you guys right now, and that’s just where I’m at.”
Carter and Dart were taken in the 2025 NFL Draft’s first round, with Carter selected No. 3 overall out of Penn State and Dart picked 25th out of Ole Miss after New York traded back into the opening round to draft him.
Despite any disagreement, Carter thinks highly of his draft classmate.
“I know Jaxson is a good dude,” Carter, 22, said. “Like I said, I was drafted with this guy. I’ve known him for almost two years now, so I know what he represents. And I know that our goals align as a team. And just because we have a disagreement in something, doesn’t mean that, you know, there is something more than that. It’s just a disagreement, and we can talk about it as men, which we did, and move forward from it.”
Carter said Dart did not apologize to him nor did the quarterback have any reason to.
“No, I don’t want him to say he’s sorry,” Carter said. “Like, stand on what you believe in, but it can’t be a problem when I stand on what I believe. And that’s all that matters to me. As long as we have that understanding, it’s all good.”
Dart played in 14 games as a rookie with 12 starts, throwing for 2,272 yards and 15 touchdowns to five interceptions, with an additional 487 yards and nine touchdowns rushing. Carter participated in all 17 games in 2025 with six starts as he recorded 43 tackles, four sacks and 23 QB hits.
The Giants concluded their second run of organized team activities on Friday and are set to conclude OTAs with sessions scheduled from Monday through Thursday.
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