WASHINGTON – The ongoing saga between President Trump and the NFL continued into a second week.
Taking to Twitter Saturday night the president said, “Very important that NFL players STAND tomorrow, and always, for the playing of our National Anthem. Respect our Flag and our Country!”
Very important that NFL players STAND tomorrow, and always, for the playing of our National Anthem. Respect our Flag and our Country!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 30, 2017
The president has spoken out against NFL players who kneel during the national anthem.
He went on to retweet this video of members of the military and has called the protests disrespectful to the flag and the military.
When you kneel for our #NationalAnthem, you aren’t protesting a specific issue, you are protesting our Nation and EVERYTHING it stands for‼️ pic.twitter.com/JKo9WEZOEy
— SL (@SLandinSoCal) September 24, 2017
While many vets have spoken in support of the president, others have given their support to the NFL players, saying they fought for the right to kneel or stand.
My grandpa is a 97 year-old WWII vet & Missouri farmer who wanted to join w/ those who #TakeaKnee: “those kids have every right to protest.” pic.twitter.com/LurCj7SLUB
— Brennan Gilmore (@brennanmgilmore) September 24, 2017
The words #vetsforkaepernick were also trending on Twitter throughout the controversy and linked to members of the military supporting the player’s rights to kneel.
#TakeTheKnee #VetsForKaepernick do what we must to try and maintain the true meaning of democracy… pic.twitter.com/Hdf1Q43fAp
— matthew aiken (@TruMattBlu) September 24, 2017
Now, the daughter of perhaps the nation’s most famous civil rights leader, has weighed in on the protests themselves.
Bernice King, daughter of Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. writes, “People didn’t approve of the way my father protested injustice either; said he was causing trouble, called him an “outside agitator.” #MLK
People didn’t approve of the way my father protested injustice either; said he was causing trouble, called him an “outside agitator.” #MLK pic.twitter.com/l5cAkiGR6K
— Be A King (@BerniceKing) September 24, 2017
She went on to state, “Many who quote #MLK today, and use his words out of context to deter nonviolent protest, would have hated him openly then.”
King’s reflection may coincide with a statistic released by political pollster Frank Luntz.
According to Luntz, “ In 1961, 61% of Americans disapproved of the Freedom Riders riding desegregated buses into the segregated South. “
In 1964, 73% of Americans felt “negroes should stop demonstrations now that they have made their point.”https://t.co/kC9JZFxpCG pic.twitter.com/bPstZupz5Y
— Frank Luntz (@FrankLuntz) September 27, 2017
King said she lost 8,000 Facebook followers because of the posts but doubled down Sunday, urging Christians to take a different perspective.
“Christ is not American. The Church is global. Our neighbors are all of humanity. The National Anthem is not a Gospel song,” King posted.
Dr. Alveda King, the niece of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr also weighed in on the protests but offered a slightly different position, saying the cause is important but it is also important to respect the national anthem.
“We need to step back, take a breather. That’s what taking the knee can help you do. My daddy A.D. King, my uncle Martin Luther King Jr. in the 1960’s took the knee, however they were actually praying,” she explained to Fox News.
“We do have to have respect for our flag for our anthem, and we really have to care about each other. Now the things that they want to protest for, I agree,” she said.
