While campaigning for Alabama Senate runoff candidate, President Donald Trump reportedly went on a tangent in which he referred to former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick as a “son of a b*tch.”
“#8220;‘Wouldn’t you like to see one of our NFL owners, when somebody disrespects the flag, say, ‘Get that son of a b*tch off the field,’” Trump reportedly said at the rally. Kaepernick is not currently employed by any NFL football teams, as he was not drafted after his controversial bended-knee protests during the National Anthem last year.
Pres. Trump discusses kneeling during national anthem at football game: “That’s a total disrespect of our heritage” https://t.co/PYcZWSvN5I
— NBC News (@NBCNews) September 23, 2017
Immediately, Twitter took Trump to task over his language and behavior.
“When was the last time a sitting President said ‘son of a b*tch‘ on purpose at a rally?” activist-journalist Shaun King tweeted. “Has that ever happened?”
“Trump used harsher language to describe Kaepernick than he used for the Neo-Nazi who killed Heather Heyer,” another user tweeted in response.
Read more of the shocked and angry reactions below.
Trump was quicker and more vehement in his hatred of Colin Kaepernick’s non-violent protest than he was of Nazis. Take note of that.
— Anthony F. Irwin (@AnthonyIrwinLA) September 23, 2017
Trump litigating the Kaepernick protest. Crowd chants U-S-A.
— Alexander Nazaryan (@alexnazaryan) September 23, 2017
Crowd chants “U-S-A! U-S-A!”
Trump just mainlined some racist heroin into the Huntsville crowd by tacitly calling Colin Kaepernick a SOB
— The Hoarse Whisperer (@HoarseWisperer) September 23, 2017
Wrote in March about how Trump’s vocal obsession w/@Kaepernick7 opens Trump up to be sued for contract interference https://t.co/H9cPzevPFg https://t.co/EMy4Bqwawk
— Dave Zirin (@EdgeofSports) September 23, 2017
It’s almost like the people who have abject hate for Kaepernick also support Trump. 🤔🤔🤔 https://t.co/VE5Owh6BEP
— John Bielski (@JohnRBielski) September 23, 2017
Trump calls Colin Kaepernick a “son of a bitch” & rejected the invite to the NAACP convention, but he’s not racist?
— Laurie Crosswell 🌞 (@lauriecrosswell) September 23, 2017
I’m like 75% sure that if Trump had never talked about Kaepernick he’d be on a roster now https://t.co/UMN96YttkU
— Matthew Zeitlin (@MattZeitlin) September 23, 2017