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Saquon Barkley doesn’t understand what the big deal is.
Why is everyone so inflamed by his visiting Donald Trump before the Philadelphia Eagles go to the White House? He is the president of the United States after all.
"Some people are really upset cause I played golfed and flew to the White House with the PRESIDENT," Barkley tweeted on Monday. "Maybe I just respect the office, not a hard concept to understand."
No. What shouldn't be hard to understand is why people would find Barkley's hanging with Trump to be unbecoming. The only problem here is Barkley's confusion. He’s reducing a convicted felon and sexual abuser who was impeached for inciting a violent insurrection, regularly spews racist and divisive rhetoric, is actively working to eliminate programs for diversity, equity and inclusion and is illegally jailing Americans abroad to merely “the president.”
I guess technically he's right. A twice-impeached president at that.
Too bad Barkley's golf partner doesn’t respect the office as much as he apparently does. Trump repeatedly shows a lack of regard for the constitution that’s supposed to guide every part of how the U.S. is governed, including the presidency. He's selling “Trump 2028” hats on his official website as a hint at his potential attempt to run for an unconstitutional third term. What's not to respect?
A platform with the president is great if it’s being used as a real forum to share ideas and push back against some of his policies, in which case it doesn't need to be public. Barkley’s defensive reaction to the understandable backlash proves that’s not what he was there to do.
Whatever Barkley's reason, it didn't benefit him as much as it did Trump, who got some good ol' fashioned sports-washing PR; a quick, “Hey look at me, I’m hanging out with the beloved running back of the Philadelphia Eagles." What Barkley got was played, and unfortunately it'll overshadow a lot of the philanthropic work he’s done over the years. How does his public schmoozing with Trump not come off as selfish a month after the Department of Defense removed Jackie Robinson from its website as part of the president's anti-DEI efforts, only restoring the page after major backlash?
Of course people are displeased to hear Barkley is buddy-buddy with Trump as the president is targeting the Smithsonian, trying to change the very fabric of the institutions that tell the story of our country, including the museum of African American history that represents Barkley's very ancestry.
The 28-year-old’s mere association with Trump either shows an extreme ignorance to what the president is up to (in which case, what do you even have to talk about?) or it necessarily says Barkley is OK with those things. And while that's absolutely his right as an American, he shouldn't act surprised when people jump in his mentions about politics. Because like he said, it's the PRESIDENT.
Barkley said he looks forward to finishing his round with Trump. Hopefully, during that round, he has the spine to broach some of the things his fans have issues with -- or the spine to stand on his potential support for Trump. That he wants people to shut up about it doesn't give me much hope he has the spine for anything but toting a football.
This article originally appeared on For The Win: Saquon Barkley's reaction to Donald Trump backlash was spineless
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Why is everyone so inflamed by his visiting Donald Trump before the Philadelphia Eagles go to the White House? He is the president of the United States after all.
"Some people are really upset cause I played golfed and flew to the White House with the PRESIDENT," Barkley tweeted on Monday. "Maybe I just respect the office, not a hard concept to understand."
No. What shouldn't be hard to understand is why people would find Barkley's hanging with Trump to be unbecoming. The only problem here is Barkley's confusion. He’s reducing a convicted felon and sexual abuser who was impeached for inciting a violent insurrection, regularly spews racist and divisive rhetoric, is actively working to eliminate programs for diversity, equity and inclusion and is illegally jailing Americans abroad to merely “the president.”
I guess technically he's right. A twice-impeached president at that.
Too bad Barkley's golf partner doesn’t respect the office as much as he apparently does. Trump repeatedly shows a lack of regard for the constitution that’s supposed to guide every part of how the U.S. is governed, including the presidency. He's selling “Trump 2028” hats on his official website as a hint at his potential attempt to run for an unconstitutional third term. What's not to respect?
A platform with the president is great if it’s being used as a real forum to share ideas and push back against some of his policies, in which case it doesn't need to be public. Barkley’s defensive reaction to the understandable backlash proves that’s not what he was there to do.
Whatever Barkley's reason, it didn't benefit him as much as it did Trump, who got some good ol' fashioned sports-washing PR; a quick, “Hey look at me, I’m hanging out with the beloved running back of the Philadelphia Eagles." What Barkley got was played, and unfortunately it'll overshadow a lot of the philanthropic work he’s done over the years. How does his public schmoozing with Trump not come off as selfish a month after the Department of Defense removed Jackie Robinson from its website as part of the president's anti-DEI efforts, only restoring the page after major backlash?
Of course people are displeased to hear Barkley is buddy-buddy with Trump as the president is targeting the Smithsonian, trying to change the very fabric of the institutions that tell the story of our country, including the museum of African American history that represents Barkley's very ancestry.
The 28-year-old’s mere association with Trump either shows an extreme ignorance to what the president is up to (in which case, what do you even have to talk about?) or it necessarily says Barkley is OK with those things. And while that's absolutely his right as an American, he shouldn't act surprised when people jump in his mentions about politics. Because like he said, it's the PRESIDENT.
Barkley said he looks forward to finishing his round with Trump. Hopefully, during that round, he has the spine to broach some of the things his fans have issues with -- or the spine to stand on his potential support for Trump. That he wants people to shut up about it doesn't give me much hope he has the spine for anything but toting a football.
This article originally appeared on For The Win: Saquon Barkley's reaction to Donald Trump backlash was spineless
Continue reading...
