While at a campaign rally on Friday night, President Donald Trump set his sights on former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick, who protested the U.S. national anthem all of last season and now doesn’t have a job.
While campaigning for Luther Strange, who’s running for senator in Alabama, Trump took a veiled shot at Kaepernick.
https://twitter.com/nick_ramsey/status/911391835888726017
The Twitter reaction was immediate.
Why are you even bringing up Kaepernick’s name at a political rally in Alabama?
— mike freeman (@mikefreemanNFL) September 23, 2017
Never mind. I know the answer.
Prediction: Not one NFL owner, not Roger Goodell will say one word about what he said about Kaep or other NFL players. Not. A. One. https://t.co/tBv3Q5FZHp
— Jemele Hill (@jemelehill) September 23, 2017
So Trump say calls Black NFL players who protests injustice “sons of bitches”, but white supremacists who ram ppl with cars “very fine ppl” https://t.co/vq4AvWyoQa
— Tariq Nasheed 🇺🇸 (@tariqnasheed) September 23, 2017
Might as well call the creators of the Constitution SOBs too.
— Bishop Sankey (@BishopSankey) September 23, 2017
Just so we’re clear, POTUS described the mothers of numerous NFL players as bitches yesterday because their sons protested peacefully…
— robertklemko (@RobertKlemko) September 23, 2017
Bob Kraft, Jerry Jones, Stan Kroenke, Daniel Snyder, Shahid Khan, Woody Johnson & Bob McNair each gave $1M to Trump. https://t.co/QXSsiYu3X7
— Don Van Natta Jr. (@DVNJr) September 23, 2017
We will never back down. We no longer can afford to stick to sports. pic.twitter.com/Ec3Bc4qt9h
— DeMaurice Smith (@demauricesmith) September 23, 2017
This isn’t the first time Trump has blasted Kaepernick.
After Kaepernick first began kneeling during the national anthem in August 2016, saying he wasn’t “going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color,” Trump responded this way.
“I think it’s a terrible thing, and you know, maybe he should find a country that works better for him,” Trump said. “Let him try, it’s not gonna happen.”
Last March, Trump celebrated the fact Kaepernick didn’t have a job.
President Trump dissed Colin Kaepernick while the quarterback’s been busy helping communities. pic.twitter.com/FH8jCklXV2
— AJ+ (@ajplus) March 22, 2017
Here’s how Kaepernick’s mom responded on Friday night, though. She showed her pride for her son—who is nearly at the end of a process in which he’s donating $1 million to various charities—and maybe made you laugh with this tweet.
https://twitter.com/B4IleaveU/status/911436659907948544
Update 8:19am CT: On Saturday morning, the NFL released a statement calling Trump’s words divisive and defending the league’s players.
New NFL statement pic.twitter.com/XHPgVvPPfH
— Brian McCarthy (@NFLprguy) September 23, 2017
