'He'd be as good as any general out there': Trump jokes he'd ask legendary Patriots coach Belichick for military advice

President Donald Trump has joked that New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick would be "as good as any general out there" and that he could rely on him for advice should the US find themselves in a military standoff.

In a radio interview on Tuesday, Trump repeated his stance that NFL players shouldn't kneel in protest during the national anthem, as well as stating that the upcoming college football season should kick off as usual amid Covid-19 concerns which have blighted most major sports in recent months - and, as such, faced a series of sports-related questions when dealing with the media this week.

One particular assertion, though, has caught the eye of national press in the United States and it involves the potential military acumen of noted Trump supporter Belichick.

"You know, if I ever had a military battle, I’d call up Belichick and say, 'What do you think? What do you think? Give me a couple of ideas," Trump said with a laugh on The Hugh Hewitt Show. 

"He’d be as good as any general out there."

Belichick has long held a reputation as the premiere strategist in the NFL, winning six Super Bowls as head coach of the Patriots during his incredibly successful tandem with Tom Brady (along with two more as defensive coordinator of the New York Giants) - but Trump remained steadfastly on the fence when it comes to Brady's split from New England earlier this year to join the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

"I think they’re both going to do great. They’re both friends of mine," Trump said.

"I’ll tell you, Belichick is an incredible coach, and I think he’s going to do really well. This guy just knows how to win. And he’s a very good friend of mine. He’s a winner.

"I think Tom, you know, Tom picked a team where they have a very good offensive line and supposedly great receivers. Great receivers,” Trump added, reserving praise for the Buccaneers' wide receiver corps of Mike Evans and Chris Godwin.

"He did that on purpose. He didn’t pick a team for just the dollars. He picked a team that really supposedly has some real talent that hasn’t quite gotten there in a long time. So I think Tom’s going to be an interesting person to watch."