In an unexpected twist, Donald Trump left sports enthusiasts surprised during his attempt at a coin toss prior to the Navy’s triumph over Army on Saturday.

Attending the 126th Army-Navy football rivalry in Baltimore, the President was met with a warm reception, particularly poignant following the recent ISIS attack in Syria that claimed the lives of three Americans.

As the Commander-in-Chief made his entrance at M&T Bank Stadium, he was greeted with applause, taking a moment to acknowledge the team captains just before the game commenced.

When handed the coin by the referee, Trump placed it on his gloved palm and propelled it skyward. However, rather than using the typical flicking method between his thumb and forefinger, he opted for an unorthodox approach by simply thrusting his hand upward, sending the coin soaring.

However, he did not flick the coin from between his thumb and forefinger, instead choosing to simply shove his hand upwards and send the coin flying. 

Donald Trump left sports fans stunned with his attempt at a coin toss ahead of Army-Navy

The president launched the coin in the air instead of flicking it before it landed on the ground 

Viewers were quick to notice that Trump’s abnormal technique meant that the coin didn’t rotate in the air at all and many branded it the ‘worst coin toss in the history of football.’

‘I know it’s just a coin toss, but that form was terrible. You flip it with your thumb. That looked like he was throwing a dead fish,’ one social media user wrote. 

Another stunned viewer added: ‘I don’t think I’ve ever seen a president do that before….’

A third claimed that Trump was ‘making spectacle of the flip.’

‘I’ve never seen a coin toss like that. Zero rotation,’ wrote another, while one asked: ‘Who flips a coin like that?’

‘lol does it still count if it doesnt flip???’ questioned another. ‘Like if you throw it so stiffly and it lands the same way up as it was facing in the hand, does it count????’

The coin landed on tails, giving the call to Army’s team, which deferred to the second half.

Trump was joined by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, who was joined by her husband Nicholas Riccio.

Many social media users were left baffled by the Commander-in-Chief’s bizarre technique

The No. 22-ranked Navy went on to rally to beat Army 17-16 in a tight contest in front of the president.

Blake Horvath threw an eight-yard touchdown pass to Eli Heidenreich with 6:32 remaining on fourth-and-goal to seal Navy’s second-straight win over Army.

After an incompletion, Navy – down 16-10 – decided to go for it on fourth down, and Horvath found his top receiving threat over the middle in the end zone.

Army then had to punt, and on third-and-3 from the Army 43, the ball popped loose on a run by Horvath, but he was able to catch it out of the air and reach for the first down. It came loose again and Army recovered, but after a review, Horvath was ruled down before the second fumble – a yard short of the line to gain.

Alex Tecza then ran for the first down that enabled Navy to kneel out the clock. In what was at times a chippy game with some post-play shoving, there was a bit of a ruckus near midfield after the final kneel-down before things eventually calmed down for the traditional singing of the alma maters.

Saturday marked the sixth time Trump has attended an Army-Navy football game as either Commander in Chief or President-elect.

Although that tradition dates back to Theodore Roosevelt and later Harry S. Truman, Trump has made the 135-year-old rivalry a priority for the White House once again after predecessors Barack Obama and Joe Biden combined to attend just one Army-Navy game between their combined 12 years in office.

The 79-year-old strolled onto the field to a round of applause at M&T Bank Stadium

Saturday marked the sixth time Trump has attended an Army-Navy football game

Trump was well received at his previous six trips to the rivalry game in Philadelphia, West Point and Landover, Maryland. Not only has he handled pre-game coin toss ceremony honors, but he’s also made attempts to interact with the crowd by pumping his fists and waving at the students.

He was coming off a dramatic electoral victory over Kamala Harris when he attended the 2024 Army-Navy game with then-Vice President-elect JD Vance and Pete Hegseth, the latter of whom was facing a brutal confirmation process to become Secretary of Defense at the time. 

Unlike 2024, POTUS was not joined by donor Elon Musk on Saturday amid the pair’s fallout over electric vehicle tax credits and the Tesla CEO’s attempts to implicate Trump in late pedophile Jeffrey Epstein’s notorious sex crimes. 

As for his own rooting interest, Trump has never revealed any favoritism towards the Black Knights or Midshipmen and has no personal or familial connection to either branch of the military.