Trevor Noah thinks Trump's anthem-weaponizing may have backfired with the Eagles. The Opposition agrees.


"Most of the Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles said that they would not be visiting President Trump," Trevor Noah said on Tuesday's Daily Show. "And so the president replied, 'I broke up with you first!'" Look, "if you were the president, and like 40 out of 50 players said that they weren't coming to your party, you'd probably be embarrassed," he said. "Or, you'd come up with a crafty excuse about how those players didn't stand you up, they stood America up."
"Whenever Trump is losing an argument, he just grabs the anthem and then he holds it in front of himself," Noah said. "The truth is, we know he cares less about NFL players 'disrespecting' America than he does about just keeping the issue going because it works for him politically." Trump has said as much. But "this time he might have messed up," he added. "Pennsylvania is a swing state — a swing state that Trump only won by about 44,000 votes, which is less than one stadium full of Eagles fans. And now he's picking a fight with those same fans. And this is not a group you want to pick a fight with. Remember, these are the same people that almost burned down their own city — when they were happy!"
"Donald Trump is a master dealmaker, but this was a bad deal," Niccole Thurman agreed at The Opposition. "He said no to a bunch of Super Bowl-winning millionaires in suits and yes to 1,000 Philadelphia sports fans?" She showed some examples. "So you're afraid they'll burn down the White House?" Jordan Klepper asked, and Thurman wasn't: "No, I'm afraid they're going to get jobs in the White House." Klepper showed Fox News trying to pass off Eagles players kneeing in prayer as anthem kneeling, but said the players still "obviously hate America. Why else would they have willingly beat the crap out of the Patriots?" Watch below. Peter Weber
The Week
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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
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