Over the last 24 hours, Donald Trump has kicked his feud with professional athletes into high gear. In his latest rant, the president called on NFL players and other pro athletes who don't stand for the national anthem to be fired and get new jobs.
Trump on sports
It's no secret that Donald Trump is someone who doesn't waste time giving his thoughts on a variety of topics. The former host of "The Apprentice" also doesn't hold back when he feels personally attacked, whether it's against Democrats, Republicans, other world leaders, celebrities out in Hollywood, members of the media, and now professional sports stars.
It started on Friday night when the president took part in an Alabama rally for Luther Strange who is running in a GOP election for Senate. During his speech, Trump ripped into the NFL, labeling players who don't stand for the national anthem as a "son of bitch" who should be "fired." As part of his Saturday morning tweetstorm, Trump continued his crusade by officially withdrawing the invitation to the Golden State Warriors of the NBA to visit the White House following their championship win over the summer. Trump's tweet was sparked when star Steph Curry announced he would not attend the visit to the White House due to his opposition to the president. As seen on his Twitter feed on September 23, Trump was not done giving his thoughts on the matter.
If a player wants the privilege of making millions of dollars in the NFL,or other leagues, he or she should not be allowed to disrespect....
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 23, 2017
...our Great American Flag (or Country) and should stand for the National Anthem. If not, YOU'RE FIRED. Find something else to do!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 23, 2017
Taking to Twitter to elaborate on his current feud with the NFL, NBA, and pro sports in general, Donald Trump didn't hold back.
"If a player wants the privilege of making millions of dollars in the NFL,or other leagues, he or she should not be allowed to disrespect our Great American Flag (or Country) and should stand for the National Anthem," Trump tweeted out. In the second part of his tweet, the president added, "If not, YOU'RE FIRED. Find something else to do!"
Current and former NFL players respond to President Donald Trump's comments on national anthem protests. https://t.co/84RKGzhuWC
— ESPN (@espn) September 23, 2017
Donald Trump's tweets came just hours after he received massive backlash from some of the top stars in sports.
LeBron James hit back at the president, calling Trump a "bum," while Chris Paul of the Houston Rockets commented that the billionaire real estate mogul should "stay him your own lane."
Moving forward
While Donald Trump spends a considerable amount of time bad mouthing pro sports and their stars due to their protest of police brutality and racism in the United States by kneeling during the national anthem, the commander in chief has many other issues to worry about. With his approval among the American people dropping to just 35 percent in the most recent round of polls, it's unknown how his latest ranting and raving will impact those numbers in the future.
