President Trump has doubled down on his attacks on NFL players protesting against racism and police brutality.
President Donald Trump: “Well, I wasn’t preoccupied with the NFL. I was ashamed of what was taking place, because, to me, that was a very important moment. I don’t think you can disrespect our country, our flag, our national anthem.”
Trump also tweeted Tuesday, “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!” Tuesday was the fifth straight day Trump has attacked the racial justice protests led by African-American athletes. On Monday, Trump appeared to celebrate his attacks against the players, telling conservative leaders at a White House dinner, “It’s really caught on. It’s really caught on.”
Meanwhile, right-wing pastor Robert Jeffress, who sits on Trump’s evangelical advisory council, said the NFL players should be grateful they aren’t shot in the head for protesting.
Robert Jeffress: “These players ought to be thanking God that they live in a country where they’re not only free to earn millions of dollars every year, but they’re also free from the worry of being shot in the head for taking the knee, like they would be if they were in North Korea.”