President Donald Trump said the NFL’s problems will get much worse if the league continues to allow its players to protest the national anthem, adding that the league should require players to stand during the anthem.
Before departing on Wednesday for a tax reform rally in Indiana, Trump told a group of reporters outside the White House that the NFL has to change or its business will never be the same again.
“The NFL is in a very bad box. You cannot have people disrespecting our national anthem, our flag, our country,” Trump said.
“That’s what they’re doing, and in my opinion the NFL has to change, or you know what’s going to happen, their business is going to go to hell,” he said.
Trump issued a stern rebuke of anthem protesters on Tuesday via Twitter, saying the NFL will continue to experience a decline in ratings as long as it allows its players to kneel during the anthem.
“Ratings for NFL football are way down except before game starts, when people tune in to see whether or not our country will be disrespected!” Trump said.
During a press conference on Tuesday with Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy in the White House Rose Garden, Trump was asked if he has been too preoccupied with the NFL to pay sufficient attention to the humanitarian crisis in Puerto Rico.
“Well, I wasn’t preoccupied with the NFL. I was ashamed of what was taking place, because to me that was a very important moment,” Trump said.
The John Elway Way: Stand For The Anthem And Get Politics Out Of Football
Trump denounced NFL protesters on Friday during a rally in Alabama and has since reiterated his position on several occasions.
“I don’t think you can disrespect our country, our flag, our national anthem. To me, the NFL situation is a very important situation,” Trump said. “I’ve heard that before about was I preoccupied. Not at all. Not at all. I have plenty of time on my hands. All I do is work.”
A Reuters/Ipsos poll released on Tuesday found that 58 percent of voters believe that “professional athletes should be required to stand during the national anthem at sporting events.”