In an email with the subject line "VP under fire for standing for □□ ," the Trump campaign wrote that the 49ers' "stunt showed the world that they don't believe our flag is worth standing for." Pence soon made that photo the background picture on his official vice presidential Twitter account.Īnd on Monday, the Trump campaign solicited contributions in an email that highlighted the blowback Pence received for his early exit from the game. Shortly after Pence's initial statement, his office promoted a photo of him holding his hand over his heart during the anthem. As NBC News' Peter Alexander reported, pool reporters were told to stay behind in the van because "there may be an early departure from the game." "He knew that we were probably going to do it again."Īdditionally, observers noted following Pence's departure that the exit appeared to be premeditated. "He knew our team has had the most players protest," he said. Kaepernick first knelt during the national anthem as a way of protesting the treatment of black Americans in the US, and some 49ers players have continued to take a knee during the anthem since Kaepernick - who is no longer with the team - first did.įollowing the game, Eric Reid, a safety on the 49ers, said Pence's early exit looked "like a PR stunt to me," adding that he "knew" 49ers players would kneel during the anthem. The Colts' opponents, the 49ers, happened to be the team that quarterback Colin Kaepernick played for when he began the kneeling protest roughly two seasons ago. "I asked Pence to leave stadium if any players kneeled, disrespecting our country," Trump tweeted. Pence initially said in a statement following his departure that he left "because President Trump and I will not dignify any event that disrespects our soldiers, our flag, or our national anthem." But shortly after that, President Trump tweeted that he had in fact "asked" Pence to leave the game if any players knelt. But a number of actions before and in the day that followed Pence's early exit - which he made after roughly 20 49ers players knelt for the national anthem - have made it appear to be such a stunt.
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