Donald Trump Basically Told Colin Kaepernick To Stop Complaining Or Leave
On Monday, radio host Dori Monson asked Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump what he thought about 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick's decision to not stand during the National Anthem due to America's failure to adequately address racial oppression.
The real estate mogul is clearly not on Kaepernick's side on this matter. He said,
I have followed it and I think it's personally not a good thing. I think it's a terrible thing, and you know, maybe he should find a country that works better for him, let him try, it's not gonna happen.
In other words, Trump thinks Kaepernick should either stop complaining about very real issues in the US, or just leave.
Trump has consistently struggled to win over African American voters, and it's doubtful his response to Kaepernick's actions will help in this regard.
What Kaepernick did was not wrong in any way, shape or form.
America is a country that was founded upon racist principles -- the Constitution originally designated black people as three-fifths of a person.
Not to mention, the third verse of the National Anthem applauds the killing of African Americans, as the Intercept pointed out in the wake of Kaepernick's protest.
From slavery to Jim Crow to the criminal justice system in the present day, black people have faced systemic oppression in America.
This is what Kaepernick wanted to draw attention to.
What he did was not unpatriotic, but in many ways the ultimate form of patriotism.
His actions showed he loves his country and wants it to be better.
Improvement requires criticism, not turning a blind eye to major problems that impact millions of people.
Donald Trump says he wants to "Make America Great Again," yet he just criticized an individual who wants to see the US became a more egalitarian and free country. This is inherently contradictory.
Trump has literally spent the last week essentially telling African Americans their lives are terrible, and he will "fix it" for them.
But when Kaepernick brought up the fact that things are not so great for black people in this country, Trump recommended he deport himself.
In telling Kaepernick to leave if he's not happy with what's going on in this country, Trump might as well have told the 88 percent of black people who think the US still needs to make changes for there to truly be equality to depart as well.
Instead of acknowledging the very valid grievances of a majority of black Americans, Trump just completely dismissed them.
Citations: Donald Trump On Colin Kaepernick: "Maybe He Should Find A Country That Works Better For Him" (Deadspin)
