Super Bowl LIII: Donald Trump Would Not Encourage Barron To Play Football

President Donald Trump has had a rocky relationship with the NFL in his relatively short time in office. In a pre-Super Bowl interview with “Face the Nation” on CBS, Trump addressed a number of issues related to the sport, including whether or not he would let his son Barron play the game.

Trump essentially said the decision would be up to the 12-year-old, but the president would not push his son towards football.

“That’s a very tough question, it’s a very good question,” Trump said. “If he wanted to, yes. Would I steer him that way? No, I wouldn’t.”

While not necessarily a pivot from a previous position, Trump did strike a different tone during the interview than he has in the past. The president infamously said the NFL was “ruining the game” in an Alabama rally in September 2017. The league has taken increased measures in recent years to outlaw certain types of hits for the sake of player safety.

For what it is worth, Trump’s stance is similar to many of those who have played the sport professionally. Several former NFL players and coaches have said they would not push their kids to play football, or would not allow them to play it at all.

Former president Barack Obama also famously said he would not let his son play football, if he had one.

In the same interview, Trump reiterated his stance that players should not protest police violence against black people during the national anthem before NFL games. The issue was a major part of his Alabama rally, as he said owners should cut players who refuse to stand during the national anthem.

The movement to sit or kneel during the anthem is largely associated with former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick. He has not played a down in the NFL since the 2016 season, leading to accusations that the league is keeping him out because of his politics.