Dept of Interior compares Trump to Teddy Roosevelt amid Hall of Fame reports

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The U.S. Department of the Interior has addressed a recent report that Secretary Doug Burgum is pushing for former President Teddy Roosevelt to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

In a statement to Fox News Digital, the department compared Roosevelt's impact in saving American football to President Donald Trump's recent executive action to reform college sports.

The New York Post reported Saturday that Burgum made the comments about Roosevelt's Hall of Fame candidacy at a Bank of America reception on Thursday.

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NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell speaks during a press conference after Super Bowl LX at Moscone Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Feb. 9, 2026. (Matthew Huang/Icon Sportswire)

"Roger Goodell was in the White House in the Oval Office, I had a chance to be with him there, because we, the National Park Service, control the National Mall," Burgum reportedly said. "The draft for the NFL is being held on the Mall a year from now (and) the Capitol will be in the background.

"Keep it a secret. Keep your fingers crossed, but I think we’re going to see Theodore Roosevelt inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame….it’s going to be announced on the Mall when Roger Goodell is conducting the draft."

Teddy Roosevelt is credited with saving football in 1905–1906 by forcing college leaders to reform the game's rules after frequent injury-related deaths of players. 

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