The 2018 NFL season is set to kick off, and Donald Trump is not softening his stance on attacking the league the way he has over the past year.
Trump has been extremely outspoken against the NFL since players decided to protest during the national anthem, so it comes as no surprise that he isn’t fond of the new ad campaign Nike launched that is headlined by Colin Kaepernick. In a tweet on Wednesday, the president celebrated the fact that Nike has received so much negative feedback this week.
Just like the NFL, whose ratings have gone WAY DOWN, Nike is getting absolutely killed with anger and boycotts. I wonder if they had any idea that it would be this way? As far as the NFL is concerned, I just find it hard to watch, and always will, until they stand for the FLAG!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 5, 2018
Of course, some would argue that any publicity is good publicity. Nike obviously knew its “Just Do It” campaign would be met with plenty of strong reactions, but social media mentions of the sports apparel juggernaut have increased by a massive amount over the past few days. That was likely the intention, so Trump comparing Nike to the NFL is a bit off-base.
The NFL has backed off of its policy that would require players who are on the field to stand during the national anthem this season, and Trump wasn’t a fan of the new rules in the first place. The new policy initially stated that players who chose not to take part in the national anthem could remain in the locker room, which Trump viewed as disrespectful.
Of course, this is the same Trump who has also gone out of his way to bash star athletes like LeBron James, so no one is shocked by his stance on Nike’s decision to promote Kaepernick.
