It is near impossible to have not to have heard about President Trump’s recent debacle with the NFL. Several players opted out of standing for the national anthem, and instead took a knee. A misconception with their silent protest was that it was somehow against the American flag, when in fact, they were protesting police violence against Black Americans.
Predictably, Trump took to twitter in response. He said that players who protest should be fired, which is a tad extreme. He claimed the players were disrespecting our flag, “our” heritage, and our country. He not only showed a complete lack of understanding towards the message intended, but his discourse only perpetuated the issue at hand. His wording was not inclusive of the Americans the protest was advocating for, and that reaction was very telling of his agenda as President.
Some people have said the protest was impertinent to our military. Yet, few of the people saying so are actually a part of the military. Veterans fought for the player’s ability to take a knee. It is their constitutional right to do so. It is a right that people in countries unlike ours are not as lucky to possess. Whether or not a veteran, or anyone, may disagree, the point remains that as a democracy people have the freedom to protest as they see fit. As long as the protest is peaceful, no one can prohibit them. Trump is often called out for being fascist, and now he has only proved those saying so right in trying to tell people what they can and cannot do.
Trump’s obsession with this protest has distracted him from more pressing matters such as hurricane Maria’s effects on Puerto Rico. He put focus on the disaster aside to rant about the NFL on Twitter. It is clear Trump needs to reevaluate his priorities.
In an effort to resolve the distress the protest caused him, perhaps, rather than react Trump should provide a listening ear. An attempt to understand the protester’s objective and potentially resolve the issue would in turn cause for the protests to stop. But rectification is not on our president’s mind, only the creation of a greater divide within our country.