As President Donald Trump spent much of his time this weekend blasting professional football players who kneel in protest during the national anthem, members of his Cabinet defended Trump’s rage.
Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin on Sunday stood by Trump’s comments and told professional athletes to exercise their First Amendment rights on their own time.
“I think what the President is saying is that the owners should have a rule that players should have to stand in respect for the national anthem,” he said on ABC’s “This Week.” “This isn’t about Democrats, it’s not about Republicans, it’s not about race, it’s not about free speech. They can do free speech on their own time.”
Asked specifically about Trump’s comments urging NFL coaches to fire any “son of a bitch” who protests during the national anthem, Mnuchin said Trump “can use whatever language he wants to use.”
