Trump Welcomes Ohio State National Champions; Vance: “I Made a Bet With Ted Cruz — He Still Hasn’t Paid”

President Trump welcomed the 2024 College Football Playoff National Champions — the Ohio State Buckeyes — to the White House in April 2025, calling VP JD Vance “the biggest Ohio State fan in my administration — a faithful Buckeye alum.” Trump praised Vance’s academic record: “He got out in two years, number one in his class. How do you do that?” Vance revealed he had made a bet with Ted Cruz over the Texas game that “he still hasn’t paid up on” and that Trump had agreed to host the celebration after Vance asked to skip the final inaugural ball to attend the championship. The team’s captains presented Trump with a number 47 jersey.

”The Ohio State University Buckeyes”

Trump opened the ceremony with the formal introduction.

“Today is my great honor to welcome the 2024 College Football National Champions — the Ohio State University Buckeyes,” he said.

He noted the administration’s connections: “Also with us are many Ohio State fans from my administration. And the biggest of them all, of course, is our Vice President, who’s been fantastic — a faithful Buckeye alum, JD Vance.”

Trump praised Vance’s academic achievement: “JD is something. But he was such a good student. He didn’t stay there for four years. He got out in two years, number one in his class. How do you do that?”

He turned to the team: “Do you have any better students than that?”

The answer from the crowd: “Better football players, yes. I don’t know about students.”

Trump concluded: “But JD is doing a great job.”

The White House championship ceremony was a tradition dating back decades, but it carried special significance when the winning team had a personal connection to the administration. Vance’s Ohio State degree — earned in two years at the top of his class before going to Yale Law School — was part of the Appalachian success story that had defined his public identity since “Hillbilly Elegy.”

Vance: The Ted Cruz Bet

Vance’s remarks provided the lightest moments of the event.

“Thank you, Mr. President,” Vance said. “Thanks to Coach Day and the entire team for being here at the White House. I’m so proud to be part of Team Scarlet and Gray today.”

He congratulated the team: “Congratulations to the Ohio State Buckeyes on a hell of a 2024 season.”

Then the personal stories. “Two things,” Vance said. “First of all, I made a bet with Ted Cruz over the Texas game — a bet that he is still not paid up on.”

He addressed Cruz through the camera: “He’s watching on TV. And I don’t like losing any bet, but I really don’t want to lose a bet to Ted Cruz. So thank you all for helping me win that bet against Ted Cruz.”

The Cruz betting anecdote captured the friendly rivalry between Republican senators that played out through college football allegiances. Cruz, a Texas senator, had presumably bet on the Longhorns. Vance, representing Ohio, had backed the Buckeyes. Ohio State’s victory meant Cruz owed Vance — a debt that, months later, remained outstanding.

The Inaugural Ball Story

Vance then revealed the origin of the White House celebration.

“The second thing — I asked the president on January the 20th,” Vance said. “He said, ‘Sir, would you mind if I skipped that final inaugural ball to go to the Ohio State National Championship game?’”

Trump’s response: “And the president said, ‘No, but we’ll have it at the White House.’”

Vance concluded: “So here we are, celebrating that national title.”

The anecdote was charming because it was so human. On the most ceremonial day of the American political calendar — Inauguration Day — the Vice President of the United States had asked permission to skip a ball to watch his alma mater play for a championship. And the President, rather than insisting on protocol, had offered to bring the celebration to the White House instead. The exchange captured the informality and personal warmth that characterized the Trump-Vance relationship.

”Resilient, Tough, Represented Ohio Well”

Vance delivered his assessment of the team with the directness of a fellow competitor.

“I just want to say I’m proud of you guys,” Vance said. “You guys were resilient. You were tough. You represented the state of Ohio well. You represented the whole country well.”

The words “resilient” and “tough” carried resonance beyond football. The Ohio State Buckeyes’ path to the national championship had not been smooth — they had entered the playoff as the fifth seed after losing games that nearly disqualified them. Their eventual championship run required the kind of determination in the face of adversity that both Trump and Vance had experienced in their political careers.

For Vance specifically, the Ohio connection was deeply personal. His political identity was built on representing the working-class communities of Ohio that had been left behind by deindustrialization — the same communities whose children played for Ohio State and whose pride in the university was a thread that connected millions across the state.

The Number 47 Jersey

The ceremony concluded with the traditional presentation of a jersey.

“As a real nice gift, we’re going to have our captains give Mr. President and Mr. Vice President…” the coach said, as the team captains presented Trump with a number 47 jersey — representing his status as the 47th president of the United States.

The jersey presentation was a standard element of championship White House visits, but the number 47 gave it particular symbolism. Trump was the 47th president, and the number had become a shorthand for his second-term identity — distinct from the “45” that had defined his first term.

Championship Visits as Governance

The Ohio State celebration served a governance function beyond ceremony. Championship visits demonstrated that the White House was not consumed by crises and controversies to the exclusion of normal presidential functions. While Liberation Day tariffs dominated headlines, Iran negotiations proceeded, and the border transformation continued, the president was also hosting college athletes, celebrating American achievement, and participating in the traditions that connected the presidency to the broader culture.

The visit also reinforced Vance’s personal brand. As a vice president who was increasingly taking on substantive policy roles — from Greenland diplomacy to tariff defense to the Signal chat explanation — the Ohio State celebration reminded the public that Vance was also a relatable figure with a genuine love for his alma mater and a sense of humor about his colleagues.

The Ted Cruz bet, the inaugural ball story, and the championship celebration were the kind of moments that humanized an administration operating at a pace and intensity that could otherwise feel relentless. Even during the busiest policy week of the term, there was time to welcome champions.

Key Takeaways

• Trump welcomed the Ohio State Buckeyes as 2024 National Champions, calling Vance “the biggest fan in my administration — a faithful Buckeye alum.”
• Trump praised Vance’s academic record: “He got out in two years, number one in his class.”
• Vance revealed a bet with Ted Cruz over the Texas game: “He still hasn’t paid up. I don’t like losing any bet, but I really don’t want to lose one to Ted Cruz.”
• Vance asked Trump on Inauguration Day to skip the final ball for the championship game; Trump offered to host the celebration at the White House instead.
• Team captains presented Trump with a number 47 jersey, marking his status as the 47th president.