Donald Trump: Nike 'Getting Absolutely Killed With Anger and Boycotts' After Kaepernick Endorsement
President Donald Trump continued his displeasure with the NFL, saying that the television ratings have gone down because players continue to protest the anthem.
Trump also opined again about Nike's endorsement of former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick.
"Just like the NFL, whose ratings have gone WAY DOWN, Nike is getting absolutely killed with anger and boycotts," Trump tweeted on Wednesday. "I wonder if they had any idea that it would be this way? As far as the NFL is concerned, I just find it hard to watch, and always will, until they stand for the FLAG!"
Nike stock closed at 82.20 on Monday night, but shares fell 3.16% on Tuesday to close at 79.60. Nike's stock is still up nearly 30% in 2018. Other competitors also fell Tuesday, with Adidas dropping 1.85% in the U.S. The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed down 12.34 points on the day.
His comments came a day after he said in an interview with the Daily Caller, that Nike partnering with the free-agent quarterback was a terrible message" and "a message that shouldn’t be sent."
Nike is the NFL's official apparel sponsor and chose Kaepernick to celebrate its "Just Do It" 30th anniversary campaign.
Kaepernick filed a grievance last October against NFL owners for collusion, claiming they schemed to keep him off the football field because of his protests and not his football ability. Last week, an arbitrator denied the NFL's request to dismiss Kaepernick's collusion complaint.
