‘Add Your Name Below to Show Your Patriotism and Support’
President Donald Trump’s re-election campaign is now using the NFL players controversy he created last month to pad its email fundraising list.Â
“The President has asked for a list of supporters who stand for the National Anthem. Add your name below to show your patriotism and support,” reads a page (screenshot above) titled “Official Stand for the National Anthem Petition” on Trump’s campaign website.
Trump has been attacking NFL players for silently protesting the killing of Black people by police, along with protesting racial oppression and inequality by “taking a knee” instead of standing during the playing of the National Anthem. Trump has expanded his target to include NFL owners who do not mandate their players stand. Trump, Vice President Pence, the RNC, and many conservatives have wrongly claimed the protests are meant to dishonor America, America’s military, the American people, or the American flag.
“The petition was also promoted by the Republican National Committee on Twitter and its website. It does not say how many signatures it has garnered so far,” The Hill reports.Â
Earlier this week NFLÂ Commissioner Roger Goodell met with about half of the NFL owners. The owners decided to not force players to stand for the anthem, and Goodell was clearly displeased, but supported the decision.Â
“I think our clubs all see this the same way — we want our players to stand, we’re going to encourage them to stand and we’re going to continue to work on these issues in the community,” Goodell said Wednesday. “It’s also an important part of our game, that we all take great pride in. And it’s also for us to honor our flag and our country, and we think our fans expect us to do that. And so that was something we continued to focus on this morning. But really talking a lot about with the opportunity that exists with our players to try to go and really make a difference in our communities in a positive way.”
Trump kicked off his attack on the players by calling NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick a “son of a bitch.”
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