The White House on Tuesday accused the Philadelphia Eagles of pulling a “political stunt” by committing to a Super Bowl celebration and then reducing the…
The White House on Tuesday accused the Philadelphia Eagles of pulling a “political stunt” by committing to a Super Bowl celebration and then reducing the number of attendees “in the 11th hour.”
The White House said in a statement earlier that last Thursday the Eagles submitted 81 names to attend Tuesday’s ceremony, then tried to reschedule it before finally agreeing to send “only a handful of representatives.”
On Monday evening, Trump reacted by the expected low turnout by canceling the event and in its place hold a “celebration of the American flag .”
Asked if Trump bears any responsibility for the Eagles’ decision, Sanders said the team knew the president’s stand on the National Anthem when they first agreed to attend.
“The president and his position hasn’t changed on this throughout the process,” she said. “The Eagles made the commitment to come and to be part of that event well after the president had established his feelings in regards to the national anthem .”
Reminded that the kneeling was originally intended by the NFL players as a way to protest police-involved shootings of African-Americans and that “black and brown soldiers” fight in the military, Sanders said Trump’s position is “crystal clear .”
“He feels strongly that standing for the National Anthem is something that we should do and something that matters to what makes our country special and unique and something that sets us apart,” Sanders said.
