Regretful Trump voter asks why his President 'couldn’t call white supremacists sons of a b*****s?'
'What is really going on in that man’s mind?' asks Mark O'Brien
Your support helps us to tell the story
This election is still a dead heat, according to most polls. In a fight with such wafer-thin margins, we need reporters on the ground talking to the people Trump and Harris are courting. Your support allows us to keep sending journalists to the story.
The Independent is trusted by 27 million Americans from across the entire political spectrum every month. Unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock you out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. But quality journalism must still be paid for.
Help us keep bring these critical stories to light. Your support makes all the difference.
In criticising American football players, President Donald Trump finally appears to have done something to upset his supporters.
At a recent campaign rally, Mr Trump issued a striking rebuke of NFL player who choose to kneel during the national anthem.
“Wouldn't you love to see one of these NFL owners, when somebody disrespects our flag, to say, ‘Get that son of a b**** off the field right now, out, he's fired'?” the President asked.
The comments appeared to upset members of a recent CNN panel, all of whom said they voted for Mr Trump in the presidential election.
One man in particular was concerned with the President’s response to the white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia.
“What I had concerns about was why in the world ... he couldn’t call those individuals – the neo-Nazis, the white supremacists – why couldn’t he have called them sons of b****s?” asked panel member Mark O’Brien.
He added: “That’s a huge concern of mine, meaning, what is really going on in that man’s mind?”
Mr Trump was criticised for what some considered to be a lacklustre response to the Charlottesville rally, which drew members of neo-Nazi and KKK groups, among others. The President repeatedly condemned counter-protesters at the rally for sparking violence, and at one point called the rally-goers “very fine people”.
Mr O’Brien was not the only one to notice the difference between Mr Trump’s Charlottesville speech and his passionate comments on the NFL.
“I believe that if we want to continue to be the country we are, we have to allow dissenting opinion,” panel member Jordan Jacquay said. “But I agree with [Mr O’Brien] also, if you’re going to use that term, let’s use that term in Charlottesville as well.”
Some members of the NFL have been kneeling during the national anthem for the last year, in protest of police violence against black people. Mr Trump has brought the protest to the forefront of national attention with his campaign-rally tirade and related tweets.
The comments have been condemned by major sports stars, team owners, and now, some of his own voters.
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments