COLUMBUS (AP) — President Donald Trump again criticized the NFL and its broadcast partners concerning the national anthem.
Great #StateDinner2018 in Ohio tonight! Together, we are MAKING AMERICA GREAT AGAIN! https://t.co/ALU1PHEsvh
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 25, 2018
Trump sought to unite Ohio’s fractious state Republican Party at its annual state dinner at the Columbus Convention Center on Friday, bitterly complaining about “negative, nasty” Democrats and warning that the Democratic contender for governor would “destroy your state.”
In the speech Friday, Trump specifically went after the NFL, CBS and ESPN. The president told a Republican party dinner crowd: “Can you imagine? They’re not going to broadcast the national (anthem) … CBS and ESPN. How do we like that? Is that good?”
Networks televising NFL games typically have not shown the anthem, except at the Super Bowl and other special events. But once players began demonstrating during “The Star-Spangled Banner” to bring light to social injustice issues, interest in behavior during the anthem took on added interest.
Trump has been a frequent critic of the NFL for not requiring players to stand at attention during the anthem. League owners unilaterally created a policy in May calling for players to do just that or else stay in the locker room during the anthem.
The policy is in limbo as the NFL and the players’ union discuss alternatives.
Earlier this week, Trump blasted ESPN during a speech in West Virginia. This time, he focused on that network and CBS, which televised the Lions-Buccaneers game on Friday night.
“What the hell is the NFL doing?” Trump asked. “What are they doing? Do they not have a clue? It’s hurt them badly, too, and it’s continuing. They think they’re doing something smart by not broadcasting the national anthem. So that’s CBS and ESPN folks. Enjoy your television.”
Trump praised the slate of Republican candidates during a fundraising dinner in the nation’s premier battleground state but noticeably avoided mentioning Gov. John Kasich, one of his 2016 primary opponents and sharpest critics, who skipped the event.
A subdued Trump, who has been grappling with the defection of some longtime loyalists amid investigations into his 2016 campaign, skewered Democrat Richard Cordray “as a far-left candidate” who was “groomed by Pocahontas.” That was a reprise of his insult of Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, a possible 2020 presidential challenger, over her Native American heritage.
Kasich said in a recent interview that “people are getting sick and tired” of the partisan warfare coming out of the Trump White House and dismissed the president’s overwhelming popularity within the GOP as a byproduct of a shrinking party.
A Kasich spokesman said the term-limited governor had a personal scheduling conflict and couldn’t attend Friday’s dinner.
Kasich has skipped all of Trump’s previous appearances in the state, starting with the 2016 Republican National Convention in Cleveland.
Trump didn’t mention Arizona Sen. John McCain during his speech at a Republican party dinner in Ohio Friday, hours after the family of the ailing senator said he had chosen to discontinue medical treatment for brain cancer, indicating the senator may be nearing the end of his life.
McCain has been critical of Trump even while undergoing medical treatment in Arizona, slamming Trump’s summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin as a “tragic mistake.”