Tag: Quarterback kneel

President Trump is fundraising off of Vice President Pence's dramatic walkout from an Indianapolis Colts game on Sunday, when several San Francisco 49ers kneeled during "The Star-Spangled Banner." Their stunt showed the world that they don’t believe our flag is worth standing for," the president said Monday in an email from the Trump Make America Great Again Committee. Trump then slammed the "Fake News Media" for "relentlessly" attacking Pence for showing "patriotism" in his decision to leave the game. In a statement Sunday, Pence said he left the game because "President Trump and I will not dignify any event that disrespects our soldiers, our Flag, or our National Anthem." During the game, it appeared that over a dozen players of the San Francisco 49ers kneeled for the national anthem. Pundits and sports personalities have called Pence's move a "political stunt," suggesting he planned to walk out before ever setting foot in the stadium. The remarks, however, inspired many more players to kneel or link arms during the the national anthem to protest Trump's attacks. Trump, in the email, said the media will lose "this fight, because we have the AMERICAN PEOPLE standing on our side."

. It was the most ever in a single NFL game. Trump had increased his criticism of NFL players on Saturday, not only suggesting that fans of the sport should “refuse to go to games until players stop disrespecting our Flag & Country” but also urging any players who took a knee to be fired or suspended. “NFL attendance and ratings are WAY DOWN,” he added. However many players, coaches and even the Jaguars’ owner Shahid Khan linked arms instead as they stood, showing unity for their black team-mates against Trump. Several team owners have issued statements over the past 24 hours condemning Trump’s comments as divisive and supporting their players’ ability to express themselves. Kraft, who has previously called Trump a very good friend when the Patriots visited the White House in April, said in a statement: “There is no greater unifier in this country than sports, and unfortunately, nothing more divisive than politics.