Donald Trump tried to make himself appear taller than the Ohio State football team by putting them in a “trench.”

The U.S. president invited the team to the White House on Monday after they won the College Football Playoff National Championship. 

Coach Ryan Day was with the Buckeyes as they celebrated their win over Marcus Freeman and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.

Trump stood on a podium to make himself appear taller at the White House event and said he had put the Buckeyes “in a little trench”

Image credits: Win McNamee / Getty Images

During the event, Trump stood in front of the players on a raised platform to apparently make himself appear taller. 

“Do you notice the way they’re sitting in, like, a little trench? I didn’t want them at the same level,” Trump told the crowd.

“Actually, it was really—but I feel very good about that JD [Vice President JD Vance], right? Let’s keep them down a little bit.”

Image credits: BehizyTweets / X

Some social media users accused Trump of being “insecure” and “fragile” over his height after the clip went viral. 

“Trump’s height insecurity is showing again—literally lowering others to boost his ego,” one person said.

Another added: “He shows every day just how small he is.”

But Republicans were quick to fire back in the comments that it was “clearly a joke.”

Trump literally put the OSU football in a trench so that he would look taller and more powerful.

“You notice the way they are sitting in a little trench? I didn’t want them at the same level. I feel very good about that JD. Keep them down a little bit.” pic.twitter.com/7DRYHjWBsX

— Ed Krassenstein (@EdKrassen) April 14, 2025

“He’s making a joke,” one user wrote. “The man is funny!”

A second agreed: “Get a sense of humor. He was teasing.” 

But this wasn’t the only aspect of the event to make headlines this week. 

Several incidents from the Ohio State team’s White House visit made headlines, including VP JD Vance dropping the trophy and Trump making a sexual joke

Image credits: The Ohio State football team / news.osu.edu

JD Vance was mocked for dropping the massive championship trophy, which split apart when he tried to lift it. 

Ohio State running back TreVeyon Henderson helped the VP with the 35 lb trophy as he fumbled to pick the base up and put it back together. 

Vance reacted to the gaffe on X afterward. He posted: “I didn’t want anyone after Ohio State to get the trophy so I decided to break it.” 

Republicans Against Trump shared the video and said it was “a perfect metaphor for the Trump administration.”

Another user posted: “JD Vance lifted the championship trophy and it disintegrated—finally, an object with the courage to resign from this administration.”

Trump was also criticized for making a sexual joke to player Jack Sawyer as he recalled his scoop-and-score that sent the Buckeyes to the national championship, the Irish Star reported. 

Image credits: Tom Williams / Getty Images

“He later said that it was the best feeling he’d ever felt. Are you sure about that, Jack?” Trump asked. 

“I don’t know about that. As he gets older, who knows?”

Social media users described the joke as “crass” and “immature.”