President Trump praised the NFL's decision to mandate that players either stand for the national anthem or stay in the locker room. And he questioned whether players who choose not to stand "proudly" should be in the country at all.
"Well I think that's good," Trump said in an interview with Fox News. "I don't think people should be staying in locker rooms, but still I think it's good. You have to stand — proudly — for the national anthem or you shouldn't be playing, you shouldn't be there, maybe you shouldn't be in the country."
Trump's interview with Fox was taped on the sidelines of his MS-13 event in Long Island Wednesday, but aired Thursday morning on Fox & Friends. Trump was asked if he takes credit for the NFL's decision, which he had just been informed about.
"You have to stand proudly for the national anthem," he said. "And the NFL owners did the right thing, if that's what they've done. I think the people pushed it forward; this was not me. I brought it out. I think the people pushed it forward. This country's very smart. We have very smart people. And, you know, that's something ideally could have been taken care of when it first started, would have been a lot easier. But if they did that, they're doing the right thing."
Trump was also asked about MS-13, immigration, immigration and asked to respond to James Comey's tweets about him. He called Comey a "rotten apple" and showed no signs of compromising his position on immigration.
He indicated he would not accept an immigration deal that was short of the pillars he has noted publicly. He also indicated he would veto any moderate proposal making its way through the House currently.
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