New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft offered praise for his “close friend” Donald Trump on the eve of the Massachusetts presidential primary.
“While I am not comfortable discussing politics publicly, I am very comfortable talking about my friendships with people who happen to be in politics,” the four-time Super Bowl-winning owner told the Boston Globe.
Kraft noted the pair’s work on charitable endeavors and expressed that he enjoyed Trump’s company in social settings, which include the influential NFL owner’s attendance at Trump’s 2005 wedding.
Kraft’s kind words for Trump in the Boston Globe came on a day when the Boston Herald reported a mass exodus of tens of thousands of Bay State voters from the Democratic Party. The Massachusetts secretary of state, a Democrat, cited the “Trump phenomenon” as his guess for the “significant” change in party registration.
Kraft’s star player, Tom Brady, sparked controversy last fall when he displayed a red “Make America Great Again” cap in his locker. “I support all my friends in everything they do,” Brady told a Boston sports radio show in December. “I think it’s pretty remarkable what he’s achieved in his life. You’re going from business, kind of an incredible businessman and then a TV star, and then getting into politics. It’s a pretty different career path. I think that is pretty remarkable.”
Last summer, Trump called the NFL’s investigation into the New England Patriots over the Deflategate matter a “disgrace.” But he endeared himself to Kraft long before those words of support.
“After my wife passed in 2011, he was one of the few people who went out of their way and went above and beyond to assist me through the most difficult time in my life,” Kraft told the Globe. “I will always be grateful to him for his thoughtfulness and his continued friendship.”