Is there any media scandal President Trump doesn’t weigh in on?
In many ways, the President’s penchant for offering his opinion on matters big and small is a big reason he appeals to the American people. Trump would be comfortable mixing it up with Joe Everyman at the bar on all types of issues.
But it was inevitable that Trump would say something about Colin Kaepernick’s new Nike ad campaign, highlighting his “take a knee” protest movement.
Believe in something, even if it means sacrificing everything. #JustDoIt pic.twitter.com/SRWkMIDdaO
— Colin Kaepernick (@Kaepernick7) September 3, 2018
The entire ad campaign was a business blunder from the beginning, as it sparked boycott protests across the country and resulted in Nike losing billions in market-cap value. (RELATED: Nike Loses $3.75 Billion Market Cap After Kaepernick Announcement.)
Of course, President Trump, who caused a stir last NFL season by demanding players stand proudly for the National Anthem, wasn’t about to let Kaepernick’s new spotlight attention go.
In an interview with the Daily Caller yesterday afternoon, Trump was asked about the Nike campaign. Here’s what he said:
I think it’s a terrible message. Nike is a tenant of mine. They pay a lot of rent. But I think it’s a terrible message that they’re sending and the purpose of them doing it, maybe there’s a reason for them doing it. But I think as far as sending a message, I think it’s a terrible message and a message that shouldn’t be sent. There’s no reason for it.
EXCLUSIVE: @realDonaldTrump responds to new @Nike, @Kaepernick7 ad. saying “I think it’s a terrible message”
He added, the company’s ability to make its own business decisions “is what this country is all about.”https://t.co/r3HOThBczx
— The Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) September 4, 2018
None of that is surprising. Trump thinks it’s disrespectful to kneel during the National Anthem. He shares his views with millions of Americans, many of whom are related to or know brave soldiers who have given their lives to our great flag.
Then Trump did something that must come as a surprise to his detractors: he took a nuanced, mature view of the whole situation:
In another way, it is what this country is all about, that you have certain freedoms to do things that other people think you shouldn’t do, but I personally am on a different side of it.
He’s, of course, right. If Nike wants to lose money on this ad campaign, which insults millions of patriotic Americans, that’s their choice. It’s called free-market capitalism, where investors and business owners live and die by their marketing decisions.
Still, it’s curious that Trump brought up that Nike is a tenant of his. Was this a warning?
