This past weekend, the NFL world followed Jaxson Dart getting reprimanded for being on a political stage. While he did find some supporters, not everyone in the media circles is convinced it was a smart move. The New York Giants quarterback drew a wave of commentary after his high-profile appearance alongside President Donald Trump, with the fallout even reaching the locker room.
Now, a prominent NFL voice, Mike Florio, weighs in on how Dart handled the moment.
Mike Florio Calls Jaxson Dart’s Donald Trump Rally Appearance A ‘Misfire’
Longtime NFL analyst, Florio, didn’t hold back. He was blunt, questioning Dart’s wisdom in taking the politically motivated step. Speaking on “Pro Football Talk,” Florio made it clear that he wasn’t disputing the QB’s freedom to attend.
“I fully support Jaxson Dart’s ability and right to show up at any rally that he wants,” Florio said. “We all have free speech rights. But we have the ability then to analyze how it may affect his life and the issues it may cause in the locker room among his teammates.”
From there, he moved on to discussing the leadership decisions behind it. He argued that a franchise QB carries a heavier and different burden than a role player when it comes to off-field decisions. “If you’re going to be the leader of a National Football League franchise, you need to be sensitive to that,” he said. “You need to factor in how that decision is going to potentially impact your effort to try to make a cohesive football team ready to go.”
The target Florio kept circling back to was Week 1 against the Cowboys on September 13, the only goal that should matter to Dart at this point.
He was blunt as he wrapped up his arguments. “Dart either got bad advice or he ignored good advice,” Florio said. “I think that was a misfire by a young guy who’s still trying to fight his way to be in that spot on Friday.”
And Florio didn’t spare his teammate Abdul Carter either. He backed Carter’s right to speak his mind, too, but took issue with how he did it.
“When you have an issue with your teammate, you deal with it privately, not publicly,” he said. “Work out your differences privately because it sends a message of disarray and chaos to your collective enemies.”
As for Carter’s complaint that the media was pushing a narrative, Florio wasn’t buying it. “We didn’t make it up. He did,” he said. “He dropped the low-hanging fruit onto the grass floor.”
How Dart’s Rally Appearance Divided The Giants
The controversy traces back to Friday, when Dart took the stage at Rockland Community College in Suffern, New York, to introduce President Donald Trump at an event supporting Rep. Mike Lawler.
Dart greeted “Big Blue Nation” before presenting Trump as the “45th and 47th President of the United States.” Trump returned the compliment, calling the second-year quarterback a “future Hall of Famer” with “legs like tree trunks.”
The clip went viral, and Carter, the No. 3 overall pick in the 2025 draft and a first-round teammate of the 25th-pick Dart, fired off the line that lit the fuse. “Thought this sh*t was AI,” he wrote on X. “What we doing, man?”
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The two later spoke privately and smoothed things over, with Carter clarifying they were “good” and offensive tackle Jermaine Eluemunor insisting the locker room was “fine”.
The franchise wasn’t thrilled about the situation either. According to Paul Schwartz of the New York Post, the Giants viewed the appearance as a misstep and were caught off guard. They learned of it shortly before it happened. New coach John Harbaugh, who held his own meeting with Trump last July, addressed the matter directly with Dart, with more conversations likely expected.
The worst part about this controversy is the timing. New York enters a new era under Harbaugh, with Dart leading an offense that features Cam Skattebo, Malik Nabers, and Isaiah Likely. They’re all still learning how to operate together, and a political firestorm is the last thing anyone would want, especially a first-year coach.
The Giants open the season at home against Dallas on Sunday before a Week 2 trip to face the Los Angeles Rams.
