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

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)."

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!"