NEWTON, IA - NOVEMBER 19: Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks to guests following a town hall meeting at Des Moines Area Community College Newton Campus on November 19, 2015 in Newton, Iowa. Trump is currently leading the race for the Republican presidential nomination in Iowa. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)
President Donald Trump is taking credit for tackling NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick’s career.
On Monday night, Trump spoke at a rally in Louisville, Kentucky, about his plan to replace the Affordable Care Act with a newly devised Republican plan. But the president quickly got sidetracked and took a shot at free agent Kaepernick, noting to the crowd that a recent report claimed NFL teams were wary of signing him for fear of a Twitter mention from Trump.
Trump called Kaepernick out over the summer when the polarizing QB kneeled during the Star-Spangled Banner while playing for the San Francisco 49ers. His season-long protest was aimed at highlighting police treatment of minorities.
“I think it’s personally not a good thing, I think it’s a terrible thing. And, you know, maybe he should find a country that works better for him. Let him try, it won’t happen,” Trump said.
During the rally, Trump boasted that his Twitter influence effectively ended Kaepernick’s career.
“There was an article today, it was reported, that NFL owners don’t want to pick him up because they don’t want to get a nasty tweet from Donald Trump,” he said. “I said, ‘If I remember that one I’m gonna report it to the people of Kentucky – because they like it when people actually stand for the American flag.”
Admittedly, Kaepernick’s controversial protest didn’t do him any favors in the eyes of many NFL general managers. But the most likely culprit for his continuing free agency is his poor play over the last few seasons, not Trump’s impromptu Twitter wars.
Instead of bashing an NFL quarterback, let’s hear more about this new health plan.
