White House legislative chief says Trump’s NFL criticism not racially motivated

White House legislative affairs director Marc Short said Sunday that President Trump does not view NFL players kneeling during the national anthem “through a racial lens.”

“I don’t think he’s reopening racial wounds, Chris,” Short told host Chris Wallace on “Fox News Sunday,” when asked if Trump is resurrecting the racial tensions that followed the August attack in Charlottesville, Va. “The president is not looking at this through a racial lens.”

Short’s remarks come after Trump during a rally in Alabama on Friday slammed NFL players, many of whom are black, who kneel during the national anthem to protest what they see as racial injustice in the U.S.

{mosads}

“They have a First Amendment right to do that but NFL owners have a right to fire those players,” Short added.

“Wouldn’t you love to see one of these NFL owners, when somebody disrespects our flag, to say, ‘Get that son of a b—- off the field right now,'” Trump told the crowd on Friday. “He is fired.”

Short on Sunday added that NBA player Stephen Curry is “injecting politics” into his team’s expected championship visit to the White House, Trump said he rescinded the White House invite because Curry was “hesitating.”

“They’re trying to make a political issue out of this,” Short said.

Trump’s comments started a firestorm between the White House and professional sports players, with football, basketball and even baseball players defending their right to protest or firing back critically at Trump following the rally.