President Trump suggested Thursday that instead of kneeling during an anthem in protest, one can “always run for office.”
The comments from the president came during with Barstool Sports founder David Portnoy.
Kneeling during the national anthem as a peaceful form of protest was first adopted by former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick, who was demonstrating against racial injustice and police brutality during NFL games in 2016.
The practice has made a resurgence after the police killing of George Floyd in late May. Floyd’s death sparked nationwide protests that continue in several parts of the country.
Portnoy asked the president what he considers an appropriate way to peacefully protest without escalation.
“Well, I mean, you could always run for office, right? You could become successful and run for a lower office,” Trump suggested as an alternative to the kneeling protest.
“There are ways, you get groups together, and it can be very friendly ways of doing it, very successful,” Trump added.
Trump also said there could be “negative rebounds” if protests such as the ongoing demonstrations in downtown Portland persist in the nation.
“You have to go out … and speaking your mind is good, but you have to do it fairly. We are for justice, but we’re also for law and order,” he said.
Protests in Portland, Ore., have garnered attention in recent weeks after the Trump administration sent federal agents into the city to defend federal property. The demonstrations have occurred for more than 50 days, and at times, have resulted in vandalism and clashes with law enforcement.
Late last week, reports emerged of federal agents in camouflage grabbing and detaining protestors and placing them in unmarked cars. The surge in federal law enforcement has drawn harsh criticism from Democrats, local Oregon lawmakers and some Republicans since then.
Trump reiterated that he did not like to see players throughout the NFL and various sports leagues kneeling during the national anthem, adding, “there are many ways of showing you are unhappy.”