Kaepernick, who famously took a knee during the national anthem at San Francisco 49ers games in 2016 as a protest against police brutality, found himself in the crosshairs of Trump's rhetoric when he was left without a contract in 2017.
According to Fox News, Trump, who won the 2016 election, claimed responsibility for Kaepernick's lack of a contract in March 2017. At a rally in Louisville, Kentucky, Trump said, "They [NFL owners] don't want to get a nasty tweet from Donald Trump. Do you believe that?" This statement came after Kaepernick was no longer with the 49ers and had not been signed by another team.
Trump's stance on the issue escalated in September of the same year during a rally for Republican Sen. Luther Strange. Although Kaepernick was no longer in the NFL, his protest had inspired other players to kneel during games. Trump expressed his disdain for the act, saying, "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. Out! He’s fired. He’s fired!’"
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The former President reiterated his position during an interview with "FOX & Friends" co-host Pete Hegseth, stating, "The NFL cannot disrespect our country. They cannot disrespect our flag or our national anthem."
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Reflecting on the incident, Kaepernick stated that it's "easier for him to analyze" now than it was seven years ago. He said, "I think one of the key elements that is important to think about in relation to that moment is what does it actually mean to at that point have a then-sitting president being willing to target an individual citizen and using the power of their office, the power of their influence, to be able to try to minimize an individual and their aspirations."
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Kaepernick also shared his perspective on the George Floyd riots in 2020, asking, "should people be able to live a better life, and should people be able to live without the threat of death? I think that fundamentally is the basis of this, and, if we take it a step further, should people be discriminated against because of the color of their skin or because of their religion or because of where they live or because of their socioeconomic status?"
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Despite several coaches advocating for Kaepernick to join a team and his participation in team workouts in 2019, he has not played in the NFL since the 49ers released him after the 2016 season. Kaepernick also settled a 2019 grievance against the NFL, alleging that team owners were colluding to keep him out of the league.
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In 2020, Trump suggested that teams should sign Kaepernick, but only if the former quarterback "has the ability." Currently, at 36 years old, Kaepernick maintains a rigorous schedule, waking up at 3:30 a.m. daily to keep up with his NFL training while also working as a CEO for the tech startup Lumi Story AI. He remains hopeful that a team will sign him, demonstrating his commitment to both his career and his activism.
