HANGZHOU, China — President Barack Obama Monday acknowledged that for some people it is a “tough thing” to see Colin Kaepernick kneel instead of stand for the American flag and national anthem, but defended the NFL quarterback, saying he was “exercising his constitutional right to make a statement.”
The flag and anthem have so much meaning for many men and women in uniform and others who have defended the country that the style of Kaepernick’s protest may make it difficult for them to “hear what his deeper concerns are,” Obama said.
But he said he would rather see people engaged in the argument than “just sitting on the sidelines.