President Donald Trump continued to criticize NFL players who took a knee during the National Anthem to protest his remarks on Friday.
“Great solidarity for our National Anthem and for our Country. Standing with locked arms is good, kneeling is not acceptable,” he wrote on Twitter. “Bad ratings!”
Many more NFL players joined their teammates who did not stand during the national anthem in protest of the president’s remarks on Friday in Alabama.
“Wouldn’t you love to see one of these NFL owners, when somebody disrespects our flag, to say, ‘Get that son of a bitch off the field right now. He is fired. He’s fired!’” Trump said on Friday. His remarks prompted additional protests from players on the field and team owners on Sunday.
The Pittsburgh Steelers team stayed inside the locker room during the National Anthem, except for one player — Alejandro Villanueva, who served three tours in Afghanistan with Army.
Other teams like the Chicago Bears stood during the National Anthem with arms locked in unity.
The president kept commenting on his position throughout the afternoon, as NFL protests continued.
“Courageous Patriots have fought and died for our great American Flag — we MUST honor and respect it!” he wrote. “MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!”