On Sunday afternoon, NFL player Marshawn Lynch protested during the playing of the National Anthem at a football game in Mexico. In response, Donald Trump wasn't too happy about it.

Trump on Lynch

It was earlier this fall when Donald Trump spoke to a crowd of supporters in Alabama and brought up the issue of football players protesting during the national anthem. It was started the year prior when Colin Kaepernick, then quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers, took a knee during the anthem in an attempt to bring attention to police brutality and alleged institutional racism in the United States.

Heading into the 2017 season, Kaepernick remained unsigned after deciding to opt-out of his contract, and the protests became an afterthought. During Trump's speech, however, he ripped into those NFL players who protested, referring to them as a "son of a b*tch," while calling on team owners to fire them. The backlash came quick as the following Sunday over 200 players took part in the protest, making it the largest single-day anthem demonstration in NFL history. Since then, the former host of "The Apprentice" has lashed out on more than one occasion over the issue, doing so on social media, interviews, and in additional speeches. On Sunday, Marshawn Lynch of the Oakland Raiders decided to take a knee, leading to Trump firing back during a November 20 tweet.

Taking to Twitter on Monday morning, Donald Trump wasted no time expressing his thoughts about Marshawn Lynch protesting during the national anthem.

"Marshawn Lynch of the NFL’s Oakland Raiders stands for the Mexican Anthem and sits down to boos for our National Anthem," Trump tweeted out.

"Great disrespect!" Donald Trump posted.

"Next time NFL should suspend him for remainder of season," the president went on to demand, before concluding, "Attendance and ratings way down." Trump's remarks highlight not just his opposition to the National Football League, but also many of his supporters. Television ratings and attendance have dropped, with many attributing the decline to the political backlash seen due to the protests.

Next up

While Donald Trump continues to focus on his war of words against the sports world, the commander in chief has many other issues to worry about. As the future of health care and tax reform hang in the balance of uncertainty, special counsel Robert Mueller has moved forward in the ongoing investigation into Russian election interference and only time will tell how it will impact the president.
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