The ink is barely dry on the NFL’s new anthem policy, and the man most responsible for forcing the league to compel standing for the anthem is declaring victory.
Vice President Mike Pence, who stormed out of a 49ers-Colts game due to kneeling by the visiting team that he knew or should have known would occur, tweeted #Winning along with a headline declaring the NFL’s revised rule a “stunning victory for President Trump.” President Donald Trump quickly retweeted the message through his official @POTUS account.
It’s no surprise, and it’s surely not the last time the NFL will hear from the President or the Vice President. Did anyone truly think that the NFL crying “Uncle” would end this? Trump and Pence would have continued to attack if the rule hadn’t changed, and they’ll now revel in the fact that they forced the NFL to bow to their will. Repeatedly.
For an administration that has a reputation for declaring victory when the circumstances don’t justify it, this one definitely justifies a little crowing and/or chest-thumping. The President has managed to get a group of billionaires who refused on multiple occasions to give him a seat at the table to kiss his ring and do his bidding. Their reward definitely won’t be silence.
Thus, President Trump wins. The NFL loses. And President Trump will reminder anyone and everyone about this victory.
So . . . congratulations, NFL?