President Trump slams ESPN for not broadcasting the National Anthem during Monday Night Football

USA Today

ESPN, like other NFL broadcasters, usually doesn't show the National Anthem before NFL games. But Monday Night Football featured the anthem before three games last season: on the 16th anniversary of the 9/11 attack, when Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones joined his players in kneeling following the president's attack on players kneeling, and following the Las Vegas shooting massacre. On Tuesday night, while speaking at a West Virginia rally, Trump latched on to ESPN president Jimmy Pitaro's announcement last week that Monday Night Football won't show the anthem. “You’re proud of our country, you’re proud of our history, and unlike the NFL, you always honor and cherish our great American flag,” Trump said. “It was just announced by ESPN that rather than defending our anthem, our beautiful, beautiful national anthem and defending our flag, they’ve decided that they just won’t broadcast when they play the national anthem. We don’t like that.”