Video shows Trump pretending to conduct orchestra during national anthem at Super Bowl party
President Trump was seen in a video pretending to conduct a band during the national anthem at his Super Bowl party in Florida on Sunday. Mr. Trump has previously reprimanded NFL players for showing "total disrespect" by kneeling during "The Star-Spangled Banner" to protest racial inequality and police brutality.
In a 50-second video clip obtained by the Miami Herald, Mr. Trump appeared to be fidgeting, gesturing towards others in the crowd, and waving his fingers in the air like an orchestra conductor at his Mar-a-Lago resort as pop star Demi Lovato was heard singing the anthem on televisions in the background. First lady Melania Trump and their son, Barron, had their hands over their hearts — while Mr. Trump did not.
Donald Trump, who cares deeply about the national anthem, is caught goofing off in a video by a "real estate agent for a Russian-American firm who frequents Mar-a-Lago," where Trump was watching the Super Bowl with paying customers pic.twitter.com/eaTvUVUFSg
— Robert Maguire (@RobertMaguire_) February 3, 2020
According to the newspaper, the video was originally posted by "a real estate agent for a Russian-American firm who frequents Mar-a-Lago and other Trump properties and events." It was posted as an Instagram Story, which expires from Instagram after 24 hours. The footage appears to be flipped because it was recorded in selfie mode.
Mr. Trump has preached reverence for the anthem in the past. He said in 2017 that NFL players should be fired for protesting during the anthem and tweeted that players who kneel are "showing total disrespect to our Flag & country." In 2018, he told "Fox and Friends" in an interview that players must stand "proudly for the national anthem or you shouldn't be playing."
"Maybe you shouldn't be in the country," he added.
The protests became a flashpoint after former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick began kneeling during the national anthem to bring awareness to racial injustice in America in 2016, inspiring athletes across the league and other sports to embrace the movement.