President Trump continued his critical commentary of kneeling during the national anthem by tweeting at two NFL players who took a knee before a Thanksgiving matchup.
“No thanks!” Trump said in a tweet Thursday in response to images of NFL quarterbacks DeShaun Watson and Matthew Stafford kneeling before the national anthem as a form of protest.
No thanks! https://t.co/IYQSotnMG9
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 26, 2020
Trump has been a fierce opponent of the trend to kneel for the national anthem as a form of protest against social justice since former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick made the move in 2016.
“Wouldn’t you love to see one of these NFL owners, when someone disrespects our flag to say, ‘get that son of a bitch off the field right now,” Trump said in 2017. “Out. He’s fired. He’s fired.”
Earlier this year, Trump said he’d prefer not to have a 2020 NFL season if the players decided to continue kneeling for the anthem.
“Looking forward to live sports, but any time I witness a player kneeling during the National Anthem, a sign of great disrespect for our Country and our Flag, the game is over for me!” Trump tweeted in July.
Looking forward to live sports, but any time I witness a player kneeling during the National Anthem, a sign of great disrespect for our Country and our Flag, the game is over for me!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 21, 2020
