“I’m not gonna be silent”: Bruce Pearl answers if his support for Donald Trump affects Auburn or the recruitment process
Auburn coach Bruce Pearl has been a vocal supporter of president-elect Donald Trump. After the presidential election results came in on Tuesday, Pearl took to X/Twitter to congratulate Trump on the win and express his optimism for the country's future.
"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. I pray and I believe he will work for all Americans, uniting us as one nation under God!" Bruce wrote on X.
This is not the first time he has shown his support for Trump online. Prior to the election, Pearl posted several tweets affirming his support for the Republican candidate.
His continued support for Trump has raised questions about whether it will impact his program's recruiting efforts as some prospective student-athletes and their families may be turned off by the coach's political views.
On Thursday, Bruce Pearl addressed the issue in a press conference.
"I spend more time on issues and policy than I do politics, really. Sometimes, they do get political, but it’s more about policy and issues," the national champion coach said.
"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," he added.
Coach Bruce Pearl also stated that he would not stay quiet on issues that were important to him.
"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," Bruce continued. "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."
Bruce Pearl's Auburn gets a commanding opening game win
Like Bruce Pearl said, "Glad it's basketball season," and that it certainly was as the Auburn Tigers ushered the 2024-25 season with a huge 94-43 win over Vermont in the season opener.
At Neville Arena on Wednesday, the Tigers dominated the Catamounts throughout the contest as their defense forced a total of 16 turnovers and limited Vermont to only 21 points in the first half and 22 in the second.
“I think the outcome and the margin really have everything to do with the respect that we had for Vermont,” Bruce Pearl said of the win, per SI. “We took them very seriously, we prepared very seriously and I promise you Vermont came in with a game plan to try and win this game.”
Georgia Tech transfer Miles Kelly scored a game-high 21 points off the bench for Auburn while also contributing three rebounds.