--- title: Trump Praises NFL's New National Anthem Kneeling Policy description: President Trump praised the NFL's new policy that will punish teams for players who kneel in protest during the national anthem before games canonical: https://time.com/5289888/trump-nfl-policy-national-anthem-kneeling/ author: Nash Jenkins article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2018-05-24T12:30:47.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-10-12T09:28:33.081Z article:section: Politics og:title: President Trump Praises NFL's Decision to Punish Players Who Kneel During the National Anthem og:description: "You should stand proudly for the national anthem — or you shouldn't be playing" og:url: https://time.com/5289888/trump-nfl-policy-national-anthem-kneeling/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltf88beb31944504fe/6989315e929fad9efcbf0a7f/gettyimages-900117166.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 3000 og:image:height: 1688 og:image:alt: San Francisco 49ers v Los Angeles Rams og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: President Trump Praises NFL's Decision to Punish Players Who Kneel During the National Anthem twitter:description: "You should stand proudly for the national anthem — or you shouldn't be playing" twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltf88beb31944504fe/6989315e929fad9efcbf0a7f/gettyimages-900117166.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # President Trump Suggests NFL Players Who Kneel During National Anthem 'Shouldn't Be in the Country' > Sponsored content. 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It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, twice a week. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/newsletters?i=9c686aec-dbb9-429d-bb03-bedea3456570&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1) ## Video: New NFL Policy Will Require Players On Field To Stand For National Anthem [Watch (HLS stream): New NFL Policy Will Require Players On Field To Stand For National Anthem](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/h5E1EjyN.m3u8) (0:55)  _Published 2018-05-23. NFL owners unanimously voted to settle the national anthem debate, requiring all players on the field to stand for the national anthem, or remain in the locker room._ by [Nash Jenkins](https://time.com/author/p-nash-jenkins/) ## Nash Jenkins May 24, 2018 12:30 PM UTC by [Nash Jenkins](https://time.com/author/p-nash-jenkins/) ## Nash Jenkins May 24, 2018 12:30 PM UTC President Donald Trump praised the [NFL’s decision](http://time.com/5288795/nfl-national-anthem-kneeling-rule/) to fine teams whose players kneel in protest during the national anthem before games, saying that those who do “maybe… shouldn’t be in the country.” “You should stand proudly for the national anthem — or you shouldn’t be playing,” Trump said in an interview with FOX & Friends on Thursday morning. “You shouldn’t be there. Maybe you shouldn’t be in the country. You have to stand proudly for the national anthem and the NFL owners did the right thing.” > [](https://twitter.com/foxandfriends/status/999599639996313600) The NFL signed off on a new policy Wednesday that gives players the right to stay in their locker rooms during the national anthem, but requires that they stand if they’re on the field. Teams face fines if their players don’t comply. The kneeling movement was started back in 2016 by San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick as a way to protest racial injustice and police brutality. While Kaepernick didn’t play in the NFL last year, his silent protest swept through the league, with many players choosing to kneel or link arms during the national anthem. [Trump frequently lambasted the NFL](http://time.com/4955050/trump-obama-nfl-nba-kaepernick-kneeling/) and the players who decided to kneel, saying they should be fired or suspended from their teams while advocating for a policy that punished this behavior. But on Thursday, Trump declined to take credit for the NFL’s new policy. “I think the people pushed it forward,” Trump said. “This country’s very smart — we have very smart people.” ## Transcript NFL players will no longer be allowed to kneel during the playing of the national anthem. On Wednesday, the NFL introduced a new policy pertaining to the anthem, which states that all team and league personnel on the field shall stand and show respect for the flag and anthem. The new policy was approved at the league meetings in Atlanta and laid out the framework for what the NFL expects from players. Policy states that if on the field, players must stand for the national anthem, though they are no longer required to be on the field. Players may remain in the locker room or a similar location during the anthem. If a player on the field is not standing, the team will be fined by the NFL. Teams will also have the ability to discipline personnel that do not stand. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said Wednesday that the new policy was unanimously approved by NFL owners. 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