Trump says NASCAR fans"won't put up" with disrespecting the flag
President Trump on Monday praised fans of NASCAR, arguing that they "won't put up" with disrespecting the U.S. flag.
Mr. Trump made the comment in a series of tweets after lambasting NFL players over the weekend for kneeling during the national anthem during games. He said at a rally in Alabama Friday that NFL owners should fire those players.
So proud of NASCAR and its supporters and fans. They won't put up with disrespecting our Country or our Flag - they said it loud and clear!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 25, 2017
The president then claimed that "many people booed" professional football players that kneeled during the Star-Spangled Banner on Sunday. And while he claimed that a few players joined the protest, dozens of players across the league did so.
Many people booed the players who kneeled yesterday (which was a small percentage of total). These are fans who demand respect for our Flag!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 25, 2017
He repeated that kneeling "has nothing to do with race" even though many players have kneeled during the national anthem to protest the treatment of blacks by police.
The issue of kneeling has nothing to do with race. It is about respect for our Country, Flag and National Anthem. NFL must respect this!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 25, 2017
Shortly after, Mr. Trump retweeted a photo of Pat Tillman, a former NFL player for the Arizona Cardinals who was later killed in Afghanistan while serving in the U.S. Army, with the hashtags #StandForOurAnthem and #BoycottNFL
NFLplayer PatTillman joined U.S. Army in 2002. He was killed in action 2004. He fought 4our country/freedom. #StandForOurAnthem #BoycottNFL pic.twitter.com/k1FXHRoozY
— Ⓙay (@jayMAGA45) September 24, 2017