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Live updates: Trump returns to White House after Texas-Tennessee game; Iran’s proposal to reopen Strait of Hormuz rejected President Trump left Knoxville for the White House Saturday afternoon after attending the University of Texas vs. University of Tennessee football game — an appearance coming ahead of senators’ last chance to pass the Protect College Sports Act before recessing into a lame-duck period. Trump flew to Knoxville Saturday morning to watch the Texas Longhorns, ranked number one in the AP Top 25, face off against the Tennessee Volunteers, ranked 14th. He left and boarded Air Force One at around 2:30 p.m., while the game was in its third quarter. The president did not make any appearances on sports networks ahead of the SEC face off, as his fellow Republican, Sen. Ted Cruz (Texas), did earlier this month — doing an interview on ESPN’s College Gameday to tout legislation. Though Trump did appear on the jumbotron during the game, seated next to gubernatorial candidate Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.). Prior to the president’s departure for Tennessee, he rejected Iran’s seven-day proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and enter a ceasefire and is also considering renewed military strikes against the country after the midterm elections in November. Trump publicly responded to the proposal Saturday morning, telling reporters at the White House, “I’m rejecting their deal.” “They want to make a deal where they open the strait immediately because they’re losing so badly,” Trump said. “You know you don’t read that, you don’t see that in the fake news. We’re winning tremendously. We have total control of the Hormuz Strait, massive amounts of oil are coming out of the Hormuz Strait.” Had a deal been made, Iran would have reopend the strait and resumed negotiations over its nuclear program. Meanwhile, the Senate is preparing for its final week in session before a long recess will extend beyond election day in November. While some GOP candidates attempt to distance themselves from Trump’s policies after his approval rating hit a record low, Republicans in the Senate are preparing to make haste in passing legislation while they still hold a majority. Follow live below Copyright 2026 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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