Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl wasn‘t hesitant to weigh in the 2024 Presidential Election results Monday morning, making a post on X at 7:41 a.m. reacting to the news of president-elect Donald Trump’s win.
“President Trump won big because more Americans believed he will fix inflation, secure our border, support legal immigration, bring peace to the world through strength and put America first,” the Auburn coach posted on “X,” the social media platform formerly known as Twitter. “I pray, and I believe he will work for all Americans, uniting us as one nation under God!”
It‘s not the first time Pearl has spoken publicly on social media about politics either. If you scroll through his feed on X, you‘ll find a number of political posts and reposts mixed in with posts about Auburn men’s basketball.
Many of his posts have been in support Israel, referencing the ongoing conflict in Gaza. He hasn’t shied away from aligning himself with high profile Republican politicians either, including support for Trump.
Pearl was asked on Thursday whether there was any concern of the potential impact his public support of Trump could have on recruiting and other aspects of the Auburn men’s basketball program.
“I’m glad it’s basketball season, right? And I’m sure people that follow me on Twitter, are glad it’s basketball season,” Pearl said with a smile.
“I spend more time on issues and policy than I do politics, really. Sometimes, you know, they do get political, but it’s more about policy and issue. And obviously, with Israel being at war and the tremendous increase and rise in anti-semitism, public display of anti-semitism in this country and the things that sort of led up to a couple of holocausts that have taken place, one back in Germany and the other one on October 7 a year and a half ago.”
“And so Dr. King said, silence is complicity. I’m not going to be silent. And as a an American, Jewish person that is in the public eye, I feel like it’s my responsibility to try to speak the truth, know my Bible, know my history, and because we do have a problem with education in this country, and so as a teacher and a coach, I do spend most of my time just trying to provide accurate information so people can have an extra better understanding of the situation.”
On Aug. 26, Pearl made a post criticizing Harris that elicited a statement from the NAACP. It was responding to a post by Sen. Tom Cotton of Arkansas, who claimed that Harris wanted to end private health insurance plans and put everyone, including illegal aliens, on government plans.
Pearl quoted the post, adding, “Thank you for pointing this out Senator Cotton, except my guess is that like many of her socialist, woke progressive beliefs she’s now changing them or hiding them to get elected! We won’t get fooled again!”
Benard Simelton, president of the Alabama NAACP, responded in a statement saying:
“Kamala Harris is energizing her base which has a significant number of black voters, in her bid for the highest position in the country, and this is causing people to show us who they really are. Since 2014, Coach Pearl has profited off the talents and legacy of Black athletes, but by his own admission doesn’t understand the implications of his words. We do not have to ask, ‘will the real Coach Pearl stand up, because we know he does not want to understand what woke means.”
“The term ‘Woke’ solidifies the harsh conditions and inherent awareness of everyday racial injustices that people of color are subjected to in this country. One would have to be living under a rock to miss the cruel treatments inflicted on Black Americans in a place, we all call our home.
“There is no hiding the fact that Police brutality and brutal murders by police, racism, denial of equitable health care, and refusal to teach our children the truth about our history, all exist and are as visible as your hand is, in front of your face. The only way to not know what ‘woke’ is – is to just go back to sleep.”
After a 94-43 win in its first game of the season, Auburn men’s basketball is in action next against Houston on Saturday. The matchup is scheduled to tip off at 8:30 p.m. at the Toyota Center in Houston.
Peter Rauterkus covers Auburn sports for AL.com. You can follow him on X at @peter_rauterkus or email him at prauterkus@al.com
