President Trump’s reelection campaign is jumping on ESPN’s move to blackout the playing of the national anthem on Monday Night Football, with a petition to get fans to urge the cable network to reverse its decision.
Last week, ESPN’s latest president, Jimmy Pitaro, announced that the cable sports network will not televise the national anthem portion of games on its Monday Night Football broadcasts.
But this week, the Trump re-election campaign has jumped on the network’s decision with an email urging supporters to sign a petition urging ESPN to dump its blackout of the anthem, TMZ reported.
“Just after we heard a sitting governor trash America, ESPN has now decided it will no longer play the National Anthem before Monday Night Football,” the Trump campaign email reads. The governor referenced is New York’s Democrat Gov. Andrew Cuomo who recently had to do damage control for saying “America was never that great.”
“If ‘America’ is too offensive for anyone in our country, then what are they doing in America?” the campaign email continued.
“I’m calling on you to join me in denouncing this SPINELESS surrender to the politically correct liberal mob. I was the first person to sign this petition. Now I need you to follow my lead and be the second,” the missive concluded.
Included in the email is a link entitled, “Tell ESPN: Play America’s Anthem!”
Trump has repeatedly blasted the players who refuse to stand in honor of the flag and country. In May he told Fox & Friends, “You have to stand proudly for the National Anthem, or you shouldn’t be playing, you shouldn’t be there. Maybe you shouldn’t be in the country.”
Follow Warner Todd Huston on Twitter @warnerthuston.
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