John Carter

The Giants on Friday will hold an organized team activities practice that is open to reporters. Afterward, around 2:30 p.m., coach John Harbaugh — already hailed as the franchise’s savior — will address assembled media.

Normally, this would be just a routine afternoon for Harbaugh. But Friday will mark his first public comments since the recent controversy surrounding quarterback Jaxson Dart, edge rusher Abdul Carter and President Donald Trump.

So what will Harbaugh say about this whole messy situation? (Also: Will Dart and/or Carter speak with reporters? That remains unclear.)

It’s worth noting that Harbaugh is on friendly terms with Trump. Last summer, when Harbaugh still coached the Ravens, he and several family members (including Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh) visited the White House and met with Trump.

After the visit, John Harbaugh was asked about Trump previously calling an area of Baltimore a “disgusting, rat and rodent infested mess” where “no human being would want to live.” Harbaugh dodged the question.

“How you framed that question — I would have framed that question like: ‘You got a chance to go visit with the president, man. What was that experience like?’” Harbaugh said. “It was amazing. It was awesome.

“And I promise you I root for our president. I want our president to be successful just like I want my quarterback to be successful and I want my team to be successful. And it was an amazing experience.”

Almost a year later, on Friday, Dart introduced Trump at a rally in Suffern, N.Y. Carter responded Saturday morning by tweeting: “Thought this sh!t was AI, what we doing man.”

On Saturday evening, Carter followed up with this tweet: “Me & JD6 are good! We spoke earlier as Men. Yall can keep yall narratives.”

So what now?

Well, the Giants obviously need Dart and Carter to thrive in 2026. Both flashed potential as first-round rookies in 2025.

So the Dart/Carter/Trump controversy is a tone-setting locker room moment for Harbaugh, as he tries to steer the Giants away from years of losing and dysfunction.

As for Dart introducing Trump, the Giants made it clear — via a leak to the New York Post — that they weren’t pleased about the particulars of how it went down, though they respect Dart’s right to support Trump.

Dart didn’t ask the Giants for approval to introduce Trump at the rally, after he received an invitation from the White House. The team didn’t know it was going to happen until about 30 minutes prior.

Dart also attempted to start a Giants chant from the stage, and the team did not appreciate Dart invoking its name in a political setting, while he was supporting Trump in his personal time.

Ultimately, the Giants view Dart’s actions at the rally as a misstep.

Like Harbaugh, Dart has yet to speak publicly about any of this. Meanwhile, Carter made his thoughts clear throughout Saturday.

It’s not difficult to grasp one of the likely reasons why he isn’t a Trump fan. Carter has posted proudly on social media about his Islamic faith. In 2015, before Trump became president the first time, he called for “a total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States.”