'Many people booed': Trump again bashes NFL players for kneeling during the national anthem
President Donald Trump on Monday morning continued to bash NFL players who kneel or otherwise protest during the U.S. national anthem before games. In a series of tweets, he pointed out that "many people booed" the protesting players, and he again denied the issue was race-related.
Many people booed the players who kneeled yesterday (which was a small percentage of total). These are fans who demand respect for our Flag!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 25, 2017
Trump again took to defending those offended by many NFL players' decision to kneel or otherwise protest the U.S. during the "Star Spangled Banner," describing those fans as people who "who demand respect for our Flag" in a tweet.
The issue of kneeling has nothing to do with race. It is about respect for our Country, Flag and National Anthem. NFL must respect this!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 25, 2017
In a follow-up tweet, Trump again asserted his Sunday statement that the his issue with NFL players protesting the flag has "nothing to do with race."
In 14 NFL games on Sunday, dozens of NFL players responded to Trump's criticism by kneeling or otherwise protesting the anthem. Before the game between the Seattle Seahawks and Tennessee Titans, both teams stayed in their locker rooms to avoid the spectacle entirely. Elsewhere, while some players knelt, others stood with arms linked in a display of unity.
Beyond NFL players, artists performing the national anthem and a baseball player, the Oakland A's rookie catcher Bruce Maxwell, recently knelt in protest.
While Trump demanded on Monday that the NFL "must respect" the U.S.'s flag and anthem, and previously suggested NFL owners should fire players who protest, he has not suggested any legislation or legal action that would likely contradict the players' first amendment right to acts of free speech.
