Trump says his criticism of kneeling athletes 'has nothing to do with race'

Members of the Houston Texans knelt in solidarity on Sunday.
(Image credit: Billie Weiss/Getty Images)

President Trump said Monday that his weekend onslaught against athletes who kneel for the national anthem "has nothing to do with race."

"It's about respect for our Country, Flag, and National Anthem," Trump tweeted, boasting that "many people booed the players who kneeled yesterday (which was a small percentage of total)."

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The Associated Press counted more than 200 players who knelt or sat during the national anthem in solidarity against Trump, who had urged owners on Friday to fire "son of a bitch" players who declined to stand. Football players like Colin Kaepernick, formerly of the San Francisco 49ers, had priorly declined to stand for the national anthem to protest police brutality and racial injustice in America.

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"Great solidarity for our National Anthem and for our Country," Trump tweeted Sunday afternoon. "Standing with locked arms is good, kneeling is not acceptable. Bad ratings!"

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Jeva Lange

Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.