After criticizing ESPN for planning on not televising the national anthem before "Monday Night Football" games this season, President Donald Trump ratcheted up pressure on the network Wednesday (Aug. 22). He initiated a petition demanding that ESPN, which he described as "spineless," show pregame performances of the song.
In an email sent out by the Trump Make America Great Again Committee, a joint fundraising committee composed of Trump's presidential campaign and the Republican National Committee, the president said, "I was the first person to sign this petition. Now I need you to follow my lead and be the second.