White House Defends Pence Leaving NFL Game Over National Anthem Protests
- 7 years ago
Sarah Huckabee Sanders on Tuesday defended Vice President Mike Pence's decision to leave an NFL game over national anthem protests.
The White House is standing by Vice President Mike Pence's decision to leave an NFL game after some players did not stand during the national anthem.
When a reporter questioned Pence's trip, considering the cost involved, White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said during Tuesday's press briefing, “I think it’s appropriate the Vice President was invited, and he attended that game. And I think it’s always appropriate for the leaders of our country to stand up for the national anthem, to stand up for our flag, and to stand up for the men and women who fought and died for it.”
According to CNN, Pence’s brief appearance at the Colts-49-ers game on Sunday may have cost around $242,500 to fly him in and out of Indianapolis on Air Force 2.
Many have accused the Trump administration of orchestrating the pricey walkout which has been viewed by some as a publicity stunt.
“With the information I have, the last time he went to a Colts game was three years ago, so this looks like a PR stunt to me,” San Francisco player Eric Reid said after the game.
“He knew our team has had the most players protest. He knew we were probably going to do it again. And so this is what systemic oppression looks like -- a man with power comes to the game, tweets a couple things out and leaves the game with an attempt to thwart our efforts,” Reid added.
Meanwhile, President Trump has defended Pence on the issue.
“The trip by @VP Pence was long planned," Trump tweeted on Monday. "He is receiving great praise for leaving game after the players showed such disrespect for country!”
The White House is standing by Vice President Mike Pence's decision to leave an NFL game after some players did not stand during the national anthem.
When a reporter questioned Pence's trip, considering the cost involved, White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said during Tuesday's press briefing, “I think it’s appropriate the Vice President was invited, and he attended that game. And I think it’s always appropriate for the leaders of our country to stand up for the national anthem, to stand up for our flag, and to stand up for the men and women who fought and died for it.”
According to CNN, Pence’s brief appearance at the Colts-49-ers game on Sunday may have cost around $242,500 to fly him in and out of Indianapolis on Air Force 2.
Many have accused the Trump administration of orchestrating the pricey walkout which has been viewed by some as a publicity stunt.
“With the information I have, the last time he went to a Colts game was three years ago, so this looks like a PR stunt to me,” San Francisco player Eric Reid said after the game.
“He knew our team has had the most players protest. He knew we were probably going to do it again. And so this is what systemic oppression looks like -- a man with power comes to the game, tweets a couple things out and leaves the game with an attempt to thwart our efforts,” Reid added.
Meanwhile, President Trump has defended Pence on the issue.
“The trip by @VP Pence was long planned," Trump tweeted on Monday. "He is receiving great praise for leaving game after the players showed such disrespect for country!”