White House suggests President Donald Trump post helped Shedeur Sanders get drafted

After President Donald Trump released a statement blasting teams for not drafting Shedeur Sanders, the White House doubled down after the fact. The former Colorado quarterback was eventually picked in the fifth round by the Cleveland Browns.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt was asked if President Trump’s initial post on social media helped Sanders get a second look and get picked. Amid some laughter during Monday’s press conference, Leavitt even gave a chuckled response to the question.

Hey, maybe President Trump did get through to Cleveland. Or, the Browns just decided to add to their QB room and give themselves a talented, yet highly polarizing player.

“All I will say is the President put out a statement, and a few rounds later he was drafted, so I think the facts speak for themselves on that one,” Leavitt said. President Trump was incensed that Sanders was selected earlier and the original statement can be seen below.

“What is wrong with NFL owners, are they STUPID?” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “Deion Sanders was a great college football player, and was even greater in the NFL. He’s also a very good coach, streetwise and smart!

“Therefore, Shedeur, his quarterback son, has PHENOMENAL GENES, and is all set for Greatness. He should be ‘picked’ IMMEDIATELY by a team that wants to WIN. Good luck Shedeur, and say hello to your wonderful father!”

In the days leading up to the 2025 NFL Draft, Shedeur Sanders began to slide in many experts’ mock drafts despite being projected to be a Top-3 pick earlier this spring. Evidently, President Trump believed teams made a serious mistake.

In fairness, Sanders tallied 4,134 passing yards, 37 touchdowns and four rushing scores while completing 74% of his pass attempts in the 2024 campaign. For his efforts, he was named the Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year and an AP Second-Team All-American.

He owns the school’s single-season records for passing yards, completions, attempts, touchdowns, completion percentage and quarterback rating. Moreover, he boasts the 14th-most passing yards in NCAA Division I history.