Trump doesn’t – Donald Trump sat next to Cleveland Browns Hall of Famer Joe Thomas in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin on Friday and appeared unable to recognize him, saying: “I don’t know who he is.” Thomas, 41, stayed gracious, thanked him, and later posted about using the moment
Donald Trump was seated alongside Joe Thomas in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin on Friday when the moment came that even sports-obsessed fans don’t always get right.
Thomas—Cleveland Browns legend and former Wisconsin Badgers left tackle, a Pro Football Hall of Famer—was introduced during a roundtable discussion. But when Trump gestured toward him and looked straight at the Hall of Famer, he didn’t reach for a name.
“Look at this guy over here,” Trump said while seated alongside Thomas. “I don’t know who he is, but he is one hell of a specimen.”
Thomas responded with a simple courtesy, saying “I appreciate that” before shaking the President’s hand.
Reading from a prepared dossier, Trump then informed the crowd about Thomas. He said the Wisconsin native now owns a farm in the southwest part of the state. Trump leaned into the physical description first—“I thought I was big until I met you. Joe. ” he said—and added: “Look at the size of this guy!. Boy oh boy. So you’re a Hall of Fame… Did anybody get by you?. … He’s a good-looking man.”.
A short time later, Trump returned to the basics of what the room already knew and what he hadn’t seemed to grasp at the start. “Great career, Joe, I know who you are,” he said.
The episode quickly drew attention online, including footage shared from June 5, 2026 that captured Trump’s earlier line—“Dunno who the hell he is… one hell of a SPECIMEN”—and his follow-up: “THAT’S WHAT I LIKE.”
Thomas, 41, is from Wisconsin and has slimmed down substantially since his playing days. During his career. Thomas weighed 312 pounds as a massive left tackle protecting the blind side for a Cleveland Browns group that cycled through quarterbacks on a rotating depth chart. Since retiring in 2018, he has reportedly dropped to somewhere between 250 and 270 pounds.
After the event, Thomas did not take offense. He later posted on X that it “was great meeting” Trump, and that he had “the opportunity to highlight some of the major issues that need addressing for family farmers and BEEF producers in this country!”
The Wisconsin appearance was tied to politics as much as sports. Trump was in Wisconsin’s 3rd Congressional District. where Republican congressman Derrick Van Orden is trying to hold on to a hotly contested seat. In the Democratic primary for the district. 2024 challenger Rebecca Cooke and former Eau Claire City Council President Emily Berge are considered the top candidates.
The Daily Mail had sought comment from the White House about Trump’s exchange with Thomas.
Donald Trump Joe Thomas Pro Football Hall of Fame Cleveland Browns Wisconsin Badgers Chippewa Falls NFL family farmers beef producers Derrick Van Orden Rebecca Cooke Emily Berge
Wait so he just admitted he doesn’t know him?? Wild.
I mean to be fair, politicians meet a million people and then cameras catch the awkward part. Still he coulda at least pretended lol. “Specimen” is crazy though.
Isn’t Joe Thomas like… the dentist? My uncle said that’s who it was. But also Trump always reads off some paper and then randomly flubs names, so who knows.
The beef producers part made this sound like it turned into a campaign ad with a football guy cameo. Also people keep acting like he’s clueless but he said all that farm stuff from a dossier, so maybe he knew and just did the “I don’t know” line for attention. Idk it’s Wisconsin, football, politics… everything mixed together. The “that’s what I like” clip sounds bad, like why say it like that.