After five days, Donald Trump is still not letting go of his grudge against the National Football League and its players for the increased protests during the National Anthem. In his latest social media outburst, the president is calling on a rule to ban kneeling during the anthem.
Trump on NFL
Protesting the national anthem is nothing new in sports, but was brought back into the spotlight last year when Colin Kaepernick, then of the San Francisco 49ers, took a knee to bring attention to police brutality and issues of racial inequality. Several players joined him in the following weeks, but the story quickly died down.
Heading into the 2017 NFL season, the issue was brought up once again due to the fact that Kaepernick remained unsigned, with many blaming the protest as the number one reason why he was left without a job. Fast forward to this past Friday night in Alabama when Donald Trump lashed out over the issue, labeling those who protest as a "son of a bitch" who should be fired by team owners. In the days that followed, the president was met with tremendous criticism and backlash, as over 200 players protested the national anthem during Sunday's games, with many others locking arms with teammates. During the Monday Night Football game between the Dallas Cowboys and the Arizona Cardinals, players continued to lock arms in protest, prompting Trump to fire back during a series of tweets on September 26.
The NFL has all sorts of rules and regulations. The only way out for them is to set a rule that you can't kneel during our National Anthem!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 26, 2017
Taking to his Twitter account on Tuesday morning was Donald Trump who didn't hold back his thoughts on the issue at hand, claiming the only time people tune in to watch football is to see whether or not the players will take part in the protest of the anthem.
"Ratings for NFL football are way down except before game starts, when people tune in to see whether or not our country will be disrespected!" Trump tweeted.
Ratings for NFL football are way down except before game starts, when people tune in to see whether or not our country will be disrespected!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 26, 2017
"The booing at the NFL football game last night, when the entire Dallas team dropped to its knees, was loudest I have ever heard.
Great anger," Donald Trump added in a follow-up tweet. In his third tweet on the matter, the former host of "The Apprentice" went on to praise the Dallas Cowboys for standing during the anthem after kneeling before it began, going on to tweet that there was "big progress" taking place in the country, much to the chagrin of his critics.
The booing at the NFL football game last night, when the entire Dallas team dropped to its knees, was loudest I have ever heard. Great anger
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 26, 2017
Not stopping there, Donald Trump returned to Twitter later in the morning, this time calling on the NFL to create a rule that prevents kneeling during the national anthem.
"The only way out for them (NFL) is to set a rule that you can't kneel during our National Anthem!" the president wrote.
But while Dallas dropped to its knees as a team, they all stood up for our National Anthem. Big progress being made-we all love our country!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 26, 2017
Next up
While Donald Trump continues his attack on the NFL over the national anthem, many are questioning why the commander in chief is spending so much time on football when he is facing more important issues. With the debate over health care still a mystery, recent hurricanes ripping through parts of the country, and uncertainty on several other topics, only time will tell how Trump handles himself moving forward.
