The Difference Between President Trump and President Obama ’s Reactions to the NFL Kneeling Movement

Almost a year after Colin Kaepernick first knelt as the U.S. national anthem played ahead of a game, his silent protest has once again become the subject of national attention — this time, because President Trump has launched a days-long tirade at players who have joined the movement. But while a year ago, it was the act of kneeling in protest police treatment of African Americans that captured the most attention, in 2017, it appears to be Trump’s unconventional response to the act. Since Friday, the Commander in Chief has called for NFL fans to walk out of games if they saw a player kneel, and added on Twitter that the NFL should fire or suspend players who take a knee. Trump’s criticism of the kneeling movement comes in stark contrast to how then-President Barack Obama reacted to Kaepernick’s actions. Last September, during a CNN town hall, Obama was careful not to take sides and instead focused on the First Amendment right of free speech. See the difference between their reactions below: President Trump on NFL kneeling movement “We’re proud of our country, we respect our flag,” Trump said at a rally Friday. “Wouldn’t you love to see one of these NFL owners, when somebody disrespects our flag, to say, ‘Get that son of a bitch off the field right now, out, he’s fired. He’s fired!” “Some owners are going to do that. [They will say] ‘that guy who disrespects our flag, he’s fired!&#...
Source: TIME.com: Top Science and Health Stories - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Uncategorized Barack Obama Donald Trump onetime Source Type: news