New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft, a prominent NFL figure and self-proclaimed friend of Donald Trump, was heard in a leaked audio recording criticising the president as 'horrible and divisive' over his handling of the national anthem kneeling protests.
The recording, obtained by TMZ, captures Kraft speaking at a confidential meeting in New York during the 2017 season. He described Trump's approach to the kneeling controversy as 'the opposite of what you all are trying to do' and said the president uses the issue as 'fodder' for a divisive mission.
The protests, initiated by former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick, aimed to highlight police violence against people of colour. Trump had called on NFL owners to fire players who knelt during the anthem, referring to them with derogatory language at a 2017 rally.
Kraft acknowledged players' rights to protest but expressed concern that Trump's rhetoric undermined unity. 'The problem we have is, we have a president that will use that as fodder to do his mission that I don’t feel is in the best interest of the matter,' he said.
Despite these remarks, Kraft later accepted Trump's invitation to visit the White House in April 2018 after the Patriots' Super Bowl win, calling the president 'a very good friend'. The apparent contradiction highlights Kraft's shifting political stance.
