Trump Gives A Two Word Response To NFL Public Protests

President Trump commented on Detroit Lions and Houston Texans players kneeling during the national anthem during the Thanksgiving Day football game.

Trump wrote just two words on Twitter captioning photos of the Lions’ quarterback Matthew Stafford and the Texans, Deshaun Watson, taking a knee to protest police brutality and racism in the United States.

“No thanks!” wrote the president.

No thanks! https://t.co/IYQSotnMG9

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 26, 2020

From Fox News:

Trump has been a fierce critic of players kneeling during the anthem, accusing them of disrespecting the military. However, multiple players have said that their protest has nothing to do with the military and instead has everything to do with social injustice

Players have knelt during the national anthem since the first week of the NFL season after a summer of racial tension and protests after the deaths of several Black people in police-involved incidents.

NFL broadcasts showed the protests during the anthem during the start of the season but tapered off as the season continued.

Stafford explained to reporters earlier in the season why he was kneeling during the anthem.

“Just felt like it was the right thing at the right time,” he said in September via MLive. “Obviously it’s been an amazing offseason just for our team, for a lot of people, something where there’s been great opportunity for growth and learning and understanding, and just felt like it was the right thing for me.”

The Texans made a statement before their opening game against the Kansas City Chiefs. The team chose to stay in the locker room during the playing national anthem and “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” also known as the Black national anthem. They then joined Chiefs players in a “moment of unity.”

The gestures were a part of the league’s attempt to promote social justice issues. The league had “End Racism” painted in end zones as well.