More NFL players kneeled during the national anthem before Thursday night’s preseason game, and President Trump noticed.
Trump took to Twitter this morning to blast the players who declined to stand.
“The NFL players are at it again - taking a knee when they should be standing proudly for the National Anthem,” Trump wrote. “Numerous players, from different teams, wanted to show their ‘outrage’ at something that most of them are unable to define. They make a fortune doing what they love. Be happy, be cool! A football game, that fans are paying soooo much money to watch and enjoy, is no place to protest. Most of that money goes to the players anyway. Find another way to protest. Stand proudly for your National Anthem or be Suspended Without Pay!”
Trump began blasting the NFL and its players for protests during the anthem last season, and he has seen it as a winning political strategy. The NFL attempted to placate Trump by changing its rules by requiring players either to stand on the field or remain in the locker room during the anthem, but that policy is now being reviewed between the league and the players’ union, and it is hard to see any way that a policy can be adopted that will satisfy everyone.