At an Alabama rally on September 23, 2017, Trump explained how he wanted to see NFL players fired for protesting the US flag and national anthem.

Wouldn’t you love to see one of these NFL owners, when someone disrespects our flag to say, ‘get that son of a bitch off the field right now. Out. He’s fired. He’s fired!

Trump’s remarks came after dozens of players across the regular and preseasons took a knee during the national anthem. They had joined Colin Kaepernick in protest the season prior, who was not on an NFL roster at the time of Trump’s remarks.

Kaepernick explained that the reason for his protest was because he was “not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color.” He was advised to take a knee by NFL player and former US Army Green Beret Nate Boyer, who considered it a form of protest most respectful to other service members.

Trump praised a later NFL ban on kneeling players, suggesting such protests were un-American:

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.

NBC Sports -Trump to anthem protesters: ‘Get that son of a b—- off the field’
NFL.com – Colin Kaepernick explains why he sat during national anthem
NPR – The Veteran And NFL Player Who Advised Kaepernick To Take A Knee
BBC News – Trump: NFL kneelers ‘maybe shouldn’t be in country’