'Steven Mnuchin Doubles Down on Trump's NFL Statements: 'They Can do Free Speech on Their Own Time

Via Billy
 

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin defended President Trump’s comments on the NFL Sunday, saying sports leagues should question whether their players should be allowed to refuse to stand during the national anthem.

“The NFL has all different kinds of rules,” Mnuchin said on ABC’s “This Week.” “You can’t have stickers on your helmet, you have to have your jerseys tucked in. I think what the president is saying is that the owners should have a rule that players should have to stand and respect the national anthem. 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. This is about respect for the military and the first responders in the country.”

Mnuchin raised an incident from this summer when Dallas Cowboys players were told they could not wear stickers on their helmets to honor Dallas police officers who were killed.

“The NFL is picking and choosing what they want to enforce,” Mnuchin said.

Some NFL players have knelt on a knee during the national anthem or refused to stand as a protest of police violence and racism.

Trump said on Twitter Sunday NFL fans should stop going to football games until players who kneel during the national anthem are suspended or fired.

This weekend, Trump disinvited Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry from the White House because Curry was reportedly wavering on whether he wanted to go to celebrate the team’s championship. That led to the entire Warriors team deciding not to go to the White House.

In a rally for Sen. Luther Strange, R-Ala., on Friday Trump said NFL owners should respond to the players by saying, “Get that son of a bitch off the field right now, he’s fired. He’s fired!”

Asked by host Martha Raddatz whether Trump should be using such language, Mnuchin said, “I think the president can use whatever language he wants to use. I think the issue is the topic.”

He pushed back on assertions the players were exercising their First Amendment rights to free speech and said the national anthem was a form of respect to members of the military.