During a rally in Kentucky on Monday, President Trump was applauded after calling out former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick for refusing to stand for the national anthem last season.
"And you know, your San Francisco quarterback. I'm sure nobody ever heard of him," Trump began, to boos from the crowd. "There was an article today, it was reported that NFL owners don't want to pick him up because they don't want to get a nasty tweet from Donald Trump. Can you believe that?"
Trump then took a shot at Kaepernick for taking a knee during the national anthem throughout last year's NFL season. Kaepernick said he was protesting the unfair treatment of minorities in the United States.
"I said, 'If I remember that one, I'm going to report it to the people of Kentucky,' because they like it when people actually stand for the American flag, right?" Trump said, to more applause from the audience.
Kaepernick is currently a free agent after opting out of his contract with the 49ers on March 3. On Sunday, film director Spike Lee said it's "fishy" that another NFL team hasn't signed Kaepernick to a contract.
Kaepernick has reportedly said he will stand for the national anthem during the 2017 NFL season.
In October, Trump cited anthem protests spearheaded by Kaepernick as the reason for the NFL's ratings decline in 2016.
