Trump appears to have tallied up all the players who knelt on Monday night, bashes ‘weak and out of control’ NFL

President Donald Trump arrives to speak on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, Wednesday, April 19, 2017, during a ceremony where he honored the Super Bowl Champion New England Patriots for their Super Bowl LI victory.Susan Walsh/AP

• President Donald Trump again voiced his frustration with the NFL on Twitter Tuesday.
• NFL players continued to kneel in protest during Monday Night Football.

President Donald Trump appeared to have kept a tally of NFL players who knelt during the games on Monday night, counting 24 players and using the opportunity to criticize the “weak and out of control” league.

“At least 24 players kneeling this weekend at NFL stadiums that are now having a very hard time filling up. The American public is fed up with the disrespect the NFL is paying to our Country, our Flag and our National Anthem. Weak and out of control!” Trump tweeted on Tuesday morning.

Trump’s tweets follow a long pattern of him criticizing athletes, particularly the NFL, but now he seems increasingly to zero in on individual players. Last week, Trump criticized Oakland Raiders running back Marshawn Lynch for standing during Mexico’s national anthem but sitting during the “Star Spangled Banner.”

Trump has been widely criticized for weighing in on the expression of NFL players, with some citing possible racial motivations for his attacks.

But Trump is correct in that the NFL’s ratings are dropping. Thanksgiving, a day when American families have traditionally gathered to watch NFL games, saw a drop in ratings.