'He'll get there': Ben Carson convinced Trump will stop opposing players kneeling to protest police brutality
Housing and Urban Development Secretary Dr. Ben Carson is convinced that he will be able to get President Donald Trump to change his stringent opinion against athletes kneeling during the national anthem. Speaking on 'The Hugh Hewitt Show,' Carson said that he recognized that kneeling in front of the national flag and during the national anthem cannot be seen as a form of disrespect to the flag or the armed forces of the country - as believed by many people, including Trump. Instead, it has come to signify protests against racial injustice in American society.
“I think the important thing is if they are going to kneel during the national anthem that they make sure that people understand why they’re kneeling,” Ben Carson told the conservative host. “A lot of people are under the impression that they’re kneeling because they don’t respect our national anthem or they don’t respect the flag or what it stands for. And in fact, I don’t think that’s the reason that most of them are kneeling. I think most of them are kneeling because you know, they want to protest some brutality in the police forces. They need to make that very clear. And of course, now that that has been brought to national attention, I’m not sure if it needs to continue.”
When Hewitt asked Carson, “So is there any chance you might persuade the president that he ought not to be upset with players kneeling during the national anthem?” he said, "Well, I don’t think he has manifested as much animosity in that region lately. And I think we just continue to work him. He’ll get there.”
Carson's hope of changing Trump's mind does not seem to have any basis, especially in wake of what the president has said about kneeling players or those who support them. The POTUS has famously rallied against athletes - especially targeting those playing for NFL - urging the leagues to penalize them for taking a knee during the National Anthem.
Trump's stance, which began in 2016 after Colin Kaepernick started taking the knee while playing for the San Francisco 49ers, did not change in the aftermath of George Floyd's death, which sparked nationwide protests for Black Lives Matter. He tweeted on June 7, saying that the act of kneeling is "disrespecting our Country & our Flag."
More recently, he wrote in response to a tweet that US Soccer had lifted a ban on kneeling: "And it looks like the NFL is heading in that direction also, but not with me watching!" NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell admitted earlier this month that the league should have listened to players when they voiced their concerns about racism. "We the National Football League, condemn racism and the systematic oppression of black people," Goodell said. "We, the National Football League, admit we were wrong for not listening to NFL players earlier and encourage all to speak out and peacefully protest."
White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany reiterated Trumps' opposition to kneeling on June 8. "The President is very much against kneeling in general. The President has made clear for years that kneeling is tied to our National Anthem, that it does not respect our military men and women across this country. He's not a fan of the kneeling movement. He's made that very clear, particularly because he thinks it's disrespectful to our military, as the kneeling originated at the kneeling during the National Anthem," she said during a press briefing.