President Trump has consistently opposed athletes kneeling during the National Anthem, a stance he has maintained since his clash with the NFL in 2016.
In 2020, Trump reiterated his disapproval, stating that he would not watch games if players did not stand for the anthem. He expressed his view that kneeling during the anthem showed disrespect towards the country and flag, declaring, “Any time I witness a player kneeling during the National Anthem, a sign of great disrespect for our Country and our Flag, the game is over for me.”
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Despite Trump’s stance, players from the NBA, MLB, and NHL have continued to kneel during the anthem and show support by wearing Black Lives Matter t-shirts.
New Orleans Pelicans guard JJ Redick expressed that NBA players do not care about Trump’s opinions, stating, “First of all, I don’t think anybody in the NBA cares if President Trump watches basketball.”
Trump recently tweeted about this issue once again, stating, “People are not happy that players are not standing for our National Anthem!”
With the upcoming 2020 NFL season, it is anticipated that many players will continue to kneel during the anthem.
