Donald Trump No Longer Plans to Attend Penn State-Ohio State Game

Penn State said a "private citizen" had invited former President Trump to attend the Nittany Lions-Buckeyes football game.

A general view of Penn State's Beaver Stadium prior to the 2023 game between the West Virginia Mountaineers and the the Penn State Nittany Lions. / Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images

Former President Donald Trump no longer plans to attend Saturday's Penn State-Ohio State football game at Beaver Stadium, according to Penn State.

"The University has been notified that former President Donald Trump will no longer be attending the Ohio State-Penn State football game," a Penn State spokesperson said in a statement.

Penn State said last week that it was preparing for Trump, the Republican presidential nominee, to attend the Nov. 2 Penn State-Ohio State game, already the biggest on the 2024 home football calendar at Beaver Stadium. A "private citizen" had invited Trump to attend the game as a guest in their suite, the university said Oct. 24, and Penn State Police was working with the U.S. Secret Service to meet required security measures for presidential candidates. Trump's public schedule on his campaign website lists a 4 p.m. ET rally in Salem, Virginia, on Saturday. The Penn State-Ohio State game is scheduled to kick off at noon ET on FOX.

Penn State had encouraged fans attending the game or visiting campus to "arrive early to the game or to their intended destinations." Penn State said earlier this week that parking lots for Saturday's game will open at 7 a.m. ET and Beaver Stadium gates will open at 10 a.m.

Saturday's game between No. 3 Penn State (7-0) and No. 4 Ohio State (6-1) is Beaver Stadium's first between AP top-5 teams in 25 years. The Nittany Lions and Buckeyes are playing as top-5 teams for the first time since 1996, when No. 3 Ohio State defeated No. 4 Penn State 38-7.

The game is expected to test the Beaver Stadium attendance record of 110,889, set in 2018 for the Penn State-Ohio State game. Penn State coach James Franklin said earlier this week that the Nittany Lions "need a great environment" against Ohio State.

They're a really good football team. They're as talented of a roster as anybody in the country," Franklin said of the Buckeyes. "They're that way every single year. They are, as well, this year. We have to play really well. We have to play really clean. We're going to need a great environment. Yeah, it's a challenge. I think our guys are ready for the challenge. We're going to have to have a really good week of practice. We don't need to change anything. We don't need to do anything more than what we've

"... We're fortunate to play them. We're excited about the opportunity. That's what we're focused on, is the Ohio State team from this year and the Penn State team for this year, and what we have to do to find a way to get a win. What I'm excited about is this team has showed all of our fans, all of our lettermen, our alumni, the students, everybody, that they're going to find ways to get the job done. We're going to have to do that again this week against a really good team who's extremely talented."

More Penn State Football

Penn State fans aren't excited about another Big Noon Saturday game vs. Ohio State

Is the Penn State-Ohio State game a must-win for the Nittany Lions?

A Penn State player was penalized for giving the football to his mom at Wisconsin