Alabama-Georgia title game security to be extra tight with Trump’s attendance

By Jeff Martin and Kate Brumback The Associated Press

7 years ago

In this Monday, Jan. 1, 2018 file photo, President Donald Trump boards Air Force One at Palm Beach International Airport, in West Palm Beach, Fla. An Atlanta police official says, Thursday, Jan. 4, 2018, the agency is working with the U.S. Secret Service ahead of President Donald Trump’s visit to the city for Monday’s college football title game. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)

Workers place signage on a hotel announcing the NCAA national championship football game, Wednesday, Jan. 3, 2018, in Atlanta. Alabama and Georgia won their College Football Playoff semifinals on Monday and will meet in the national championship next week in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)

FILE – In this Monday, Jan. 1, 2018, file photo, Georgia linebacker Roquan Smith (3) during warm ups before the start Rose Bowl NCAA college football game against Oklahoma in Pasadena, Calif. A case can be made that Smith has been the best defensive player in the country this season. He is an instinctive linebacker and Georgia will move him around in the tackle box to free him to run to the ball. (Joshua L. Jones/Athens Banner-Herald via AP)

Atlanta Police Chief Erika Shields holds up a clear bag, the only type of bag allowed for fans inside the college football championship game, during a press conference in Atlanta, Thursday, Jan. 4, 2018. Atlanta’s mayor is promising a "safe, smooth and secure" college football championship game Monday, despite the traffic problems expected to be caused by President Donald Trump’s motorcade, but none of the many agencies involved are taking any chances. (AP Photo/David Goldman)

FILE- In this Monday, Jan. 1, 2018, file photo, Alabama defensive back Minkah Fitzpatrick (29) warms up before the Sugar Bowl NCAA college football game against Clemson in New Orleans. Georgia’s quarterback Jake Fromm has shown the poise of a veteran all season, but Saban’s defenses have been known to fluster even experienced quarterbacks and Fitzpatrick is an extension of Saban on the field. (AP Photo/Butch Dill, File)

Atlanta Police Chief Erika Shields speaks at a press conference in Atlanta, Thursday, Jan. 4, 2018. Atlanta’s mayor is promising a "safe, smooth and secure" college football championship game Monday, despite the traffic problems expected to be caused by President Donald Trump’s motorcade, but none of the many agencies involved are taking any chances. (AP Photo/David Goldman)

ATLANTA — Atlanta police are working with the U.S. Secret Service ahead of President Donald Trump’s visit to the city for Monday’s college football title game, an Atlanta police official said.

In a statement emailed to The Associated Press, Atlanta police spokesman Carlos Campos said “we’re aware of his visit” and are working with the agency charged with protecting the president.

Campos said any additional comment would have to come from the Secret Service.

Atlanta’s mayor, police chief, and representatives from the FBI and other state and federal agencies will be at a 1 p.m. Thursday news briefing on emergency plans surrounding the game between the University of Georgia and the University of Alabama, police said.

The White House has not made any official announcement on Trump’s plans.

More than 100,000 visitors are expected for the game and related events over the weekend. The contest will be held in the shimmering new Mercedes-Benz Stadium, in downtown Atlanta, in the congressional district of U.S. Rep. John Lewis, a Democrat and a civil rights icon.

Trump tweeted last year that Lewis’ district was “in horrible shape and falling apart (not to mention crime infested)” — a claim hard to match with the facts. Atlanta’s economy is growing rapidly, and while crime and poverty remain higher-than-average, the district is home to several Fortune 500 headquarters, prestigious universities and the nation’s busiest airport.

Trump’s tweet came after Lewis announced he would skip Trump’s inauguration, saying he didn’t consider him to be a “legitimate president” due to Russian interference in the election.

Trump’s visit comes almost a half-century after President Richard Nixon attended the 1969 showdown between No. 1 Texas and No. 2 Arkansas in Fayetteville, Arkansas. After Texas won 15-14, Nixon visited with players in the locker room and presented Texas coach Darrell Royal with a plaque declaring Texas the national champion.