Over the past year, President Donald Trump has led an unprecedented defense of (or tirade against people who kneel before) the American flag.
It began at the onset of the NFL season last September and has raged the past nine months, consuming his presidency and culminating in last week’s very public spat with the Philadelphia Eagles.
Many people booed the players who kneeled yesterday (which was a small percentage of total). These are fans who demand respect for our Flag!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 25, 2017
The issue of kneeling has nothing to do with race. It is about respect for our Country, Flag and National Anthem. NFL must respect this!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 25, 2017
It’s always befuddled people as to why this began. Is Trump pandering to his slavishly patriotic base? Is this about race-baiting half of America? Is he playing three-dimensional chess with NFL owners who never let him have a team?
What about something else? Today is Donald Trump’s birthday. But today is also Flag Day.
No better way to celebrate Flag Day & my birthday than being the guest of honor @ralphreed’s @FaithandFreedom conference on June 14th!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 3, 2013
Do you love your birthday? I bet you do, and I bet you are partial to things that have occurred on your birthday.
Well, what if, every year, the nation also celebrated the flag? What if, months before your fourth birthday, President Harry Truman declared that every year, on your birthday, it would also be Flag Day? While you celebrated your birthday, America would respect the flag.
Yeah, you might develop some associations.
Trump doesn’t associate kneeling for the anthem and flag presentation as an insult to this nation. No, it’s sticking your finger in his birthday cake. It’s not bringing him a present. It’s making his birthday about you. The two are inseparable to him.
Today is my birthday. My wish is for our country to be great and prosperous again.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 14, 2012
He loves it so much that he even considered announcing his presidential run that day.
“@TalkerNewYorker: I say Flag Day perfect for an announcement of the presidential variety @realDonaldTrump” My birthday, interesting.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 12, 2015
Trump is a man who really loves himself. But because his birthday falls on a day the flag is also celebrated, any perceived disrespect thrown its way isn’t insulting this great nation, it’s shitting on Trump’s birthday.
It’s so simple that we completely missed it.
