Some Trump voters are apparently getting tired of Trump’s antics.
During a focus-group panel on CNN’s New Day, Alisyn Camerota asked Donald Trump voters what they thought of the president’s derogatory comments about NFL players kneeling during the national anthem.
They were far from happy.
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“I think that these players have the First Amendment right to kneel during the national anthem, or sit out, and it’s just an argument that really didn’t need to be picked,” Payton Isner, a Trump voter, said slightly exasperated. “And now it’s what everybody’s talking about when there are so many other things that we could be talking about, like the hurricane in Puerto Rico.”
Camerota then asked the panel why President Trump was giving his opinion on this, to which another Trump supporter, named Kathy Gibson, responded: “I think it’s because he loves America. I don’t like the disrespect that these players are showing.”
“But on the other hand,” she continued, “as my husband and I both say, we may not like it, but—my husband served 21 years, my brother-in-law died in service to guarantee both the NFL players rights to free speech and the president’s right of free speech.”
Jordan Jacquay sternly interjected: “I’m a son and grandson of veterans and I was always taught that I might not like what you say, but I’ll defend to the death your right to say it. And that’s what the First Amendment’s about, and that’s what this country’s about.”
“What I had concerns about was, why in the world—and I live a couple of hours from Charlottesville, Virginia—he couldn’t call those individuals, the neo-Nazis, the white supremacists, why couldn’t he call them ‘sons of a bitches?’” Mark O’Brien asked.
Camerota threw the question back at O’Brien, “And why couldn’t he?”
“That’s a huge concern of mine. Meaning: What is really going on in that man’s mind?”
Jacquay added, “A lot of what happened yesterday was in response to what our president said. Being very un-presidential, using the term ‘son of a bitch.’ I believe that if we want to continue to be the country we are, we have to allow dissenting opinion. But I agree with Mark [O’Brien] also. If you’re going to use that term, let’s use that term in Charlottesville as well.”
Camerota followed up asking the panel why the president chose harsher words for the NFL players than for the Charlottesville neo-Nazi ralliers.
“I wish I knew. It just completely baffles me,” Isner said. He continued to describe Trump’s multi-sided statements on Charlottesville. “It’s just so unnerving to have those flip-flops within days of each other.”
When asked if Trump should have given more forceful remarks on Charlottesville, Gibson said, “I think he could have given a much stronger statement. He could have been very condemnatory. These people are not the people who make up America.”
Then why is Gibson still a supporter of Trump?
“Because I try and look at the big picture. I also believe as a businessman, he’s not used politics and he’s used to going in making deals and having his own way,” she stated.
At this point, O’Brien was done. “And you know, we’re talking about a businessman, is he?!” he asked throwing his arms up in a large shrug.
“He’s not making any deals. He’s pissing people off that he needs votes for and that sort of thing, so you know, I voted for him because he was different, because he wasn’t a politician, but I didn’t vote for somebody that I have great concern about his thinking.”
