Trump Says NBA In ‘Big Trouble’ Due To Kneeling For Anthem, Calls Players ‘Nasty’ And ‘Very Dumb’

TOPLINE

President Donald Trump, in an interview on Fox Sports Radio on Tuesday morning, returned to one of his favorite culture war targets — athletes kneeling during the national anthem — claiming the National Basketball Association is in “big trouble” because the vast majority of the league takes a knee, and attacked the league’s players and coaches, describing them as “very nasty, very, very nasty and frankly very dumb.”

KEY FACTS

Key Background:

Taking a knee during the national anthem, a controversial practice begun by former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick, has come into renewed focus in the wake Geroge Floyd’s death, amid a nationwide reckoning over systemic racism. In June, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell issued a lengthy apology for past actions, saying in a video message, “We, the National Football League, admit we were wrong for not listening to NFL players earlier and encourage all to speak out and peacefully protest.” In July, Major League Baseball voiced full-fledged support of the decision by San Francisco manager Gabe Kapler and several Giants players to kneel during the anthem. MLB’s official Twitter account tweeted a video of the Giants players kneeling and captioned it with the hashtag #BlackLivesMatter, explaining that, “Supporting human rights is not political.” 

Tangent:

When asked Tuesday who was a better player, Michael Jordan or LeBron James, Trump chose Jordan, adding that Jordan “wasn’t political so people like him better.” In 2018, Trump tweeted, “Lebron James was just interviewed by the dumbest man on television, Don Lemon. He made Lebron look smart, which isn’t easy to do. I like Mike!” Last week, James responded to Trump calling NBA players “disgraceful” for taking a knee, by stating, “I really don’t think the basketball community are sad about losing his viewership.” 

Crucial Quote: 

“OLD GLORY is to be revered, cherished, and flown high… We should be standing up straight and tall, ideally with a salute, or a hand on heart. There are other things you can protest, but not our Great American Flag – NO KNEELING!” Trump tweeted in June.

Further Reading:

MLB Supports Giants Manager And Players Kneeling During National Anthem (Forbes) 

LeBron James Demands Justice For Breonna Taylor: ‘We Want The Cops Arrested’ (Forbes) 

‘You’re Not Going To See People Dying’—Trump Pushes For College Football As He Brushes Aside Virus Concerns (Forbes)