President Donald Trump has turned his focus to Utah.
On Friday evening, Trump hosted University of Utah President Taylor Randall at the White House to discuss solutions for the rapidly evolving college sports landscape.
Hours earlier, the Trump administration resolved a century-long legal battle over Great Salt Lake wetlands with a $60 million settlement which will be used to help the lake.
In late February, Trump posted on Truth Social, and later reaffirmed at a high-profile dinner, that it had become a personal priority to help Utah leaders save the lake.
What do these three announcements share in common? An impromptu, in-depth, one-on-one 90-minute conversation between Trump and Utah Gov. Spencer Cox on Feb. 21.
“We talked about everything,” Cox told the Deseret News.
What started as a 15-minute meeting, morphed into an hour-and-a-half-long discussion on the Great Salt Lake, college sports and Trump’s Utah connections, Cox said.
They spoke about Trump’s lead tariff negotiator — U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer — who is a graduate of Brigham Young University, and dated a girl from Cox’s hometown, Fairview.
Trump, who “did most of the talking,” according to Cox, also brought up Mark Burnett, creator of The Apprentice, and his wife, actress Roma Downey, who live in Utah.
Cox, Trump talk Iran before attacks
The conversation touched on serious policy issues, as well, Cox said. One week before Trump would launch an attack on Iran, he spoke with Cox about his objectives in the region.
“He was very thoughtful and introspective about Iran and what might happen there,” Cox said. “He understands the concerns about wars in the Middle East.”
Trump’s goal in amassing the largest military build up since the Iraq War was to find a way to ensure that if Iran entered a weapons agreement they would keep it, Cox said.
The meeting between Cox and Trump took place during a governors’ dinner at the White House, where Trump had decided to meet with just a handful of governors, Cox said.
“I was grateful to be on that list, and I think we were both enjoying the conversation, and that’s why we stayed so long,” Cox said. “I think we clicked on both a personal and a policy level, and that’s good for the state of Utah.”
Since changing his approach toward Trump after the Butler, Pennsylvania assassination attempt, Cox has repeatedly spoken about his relationship with the president.
Trump invited Cox to join him at Arlington National Cemetery for a special memorial service in August 2024. The two filmed a social media video ad of the event.
Trump also connected with Cox over the phone following the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk in Utah to thank him for his message of unity, Cox has said.
Trump relationship pays off?
Cox’s willingness to be a team player, collaborating with — instead of criticizing — the current president, now appears to be paying off with big wins for the Beehive State.
On Friday, Senate President Stuart Adams credited Cox’s presidential interview — where he requested $1 billion for the Great Salt Lake — with putting Utah in the spotlight.
“Pretty amazing in the middle of the session, our governor spent a long time ... with ... President Trump, ... now we have the president of the United States and the federal administration backing our lake,” Adams, R-Layton, said.
But Cox’s newfound relationship with the president is “not transactional,” Cox said. Rather, it reflects something that he said is “core to (his) governing philosophy.”
“I do it because relationships matter, and that’s how you get things done, that’s how you solve problems,” Cox said.
“I don’t think the president is supporting the Great Salt Lake because he likes me,” he continued. “I think he’s supporting the Great Salt Lake because it’s a really important issue. But because he likes me, we’re able to have those conversations in a deeper way, and I think that matters.”