An NFL owner’s decades-long friendship with Donald Trump came to an abrupt end following the events of January 6, 2021. Robert Kraft, the owner of the New England Patriots, had been friends with Trump for nearly 30 years. Despite being a lifelong Democrat, Kraft maintained a personal friendship with the 45th president for many years.
The two men often crossed paths socially, attending the same events and sharing mutual acquaintances. However, the relationship came to a halt in the aftermath of the storming of the U.S. Capitol by Trump supporters on January 6.
Kraft revealed the breaking point during an interview on the Breakfast Club Power 105.1 FM show. He spoke candidly about his political background and his long-standing ties to the Democratic Party, explaining that his friendship with Trump, while unusual, had mostly been social.
“Let me just say, I’m a Democrat,” Kraft told the hosts. “I was head of the Democratic city committee in Brookline and Newton [Mass.]. And I ran Teddy Kennedy’s re-election campaign with a young man called Tommy O’Neill in Boston—who was [former House Speaker] Tip O’Neill’s son. And I’ve always been Democratic.”
Kraft went on to explain how his friendship with Trump began in the early 1990s when he started spending time in Florida. Despite their political differences, the two developed a bond. Kraft even recalled Trump’s kindness after the passing of his wife, Myra, in 2011. “When my wife, her blessed memory, died 13 years ago, he was one of the four or five people who reached out to me and was really nice,” Kraft shared.
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Although Kraft once supported Trump financially, making a donation to his inauguration following his election win in 2016, their relationship changed drastically after the Capitol riots. Kraft admitted he had serious reservations about Trump’s presidency from the beginning, saying, “I couldn’t believe it. It was like having someone who was a drunk fraternity brother become President of the United States.”
The events of January 6 were the final straw for Kraft. He described his dismay at witnessing the violence and chaos at the Capitol and made it clear that he hasn’t spoken to Trump since that day. “I was very upset with what happened on January 6th,” Kraft stated. “And I haven’t talked to him since then.”
Kraft’s decision to distance himself from Trump has clarified where his loyalties lie as the nation moves toward the next election. It seems evident that the Patriots owner, who has deep roots in the Democratic Party, will be backing Democratic candidates as the political landscape continues to evolve.
While their friendship spanned several decades, the events of January 6 marked an irreparable divide between the two men, highlighting the larger political rift that has fractured many long-standing relationships across the country.
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