President Trump was ridiculed on social media Saturday for congratulating the NFL’s no. 2 overall draft pick Nick Bosa. The former Ohio State defensive lineman, who is pro-Trump, was criticized for referring to Colin Kaepernick as a “clown” and calling Beyonce’s music “trash.”
At a campaign rally in Wisconsin, President Trump praised Bosa for liking him. “He’s a MAGA fan! He loves trump, he loves MAGA.”
In a tweet on Saturday, Trump told Bosa to “stay true to yourself.”
“Congratulations to Nick Bosa on being picked number two in the NFL Draft. You will be a great player for years to come, maybe one of the best. Big Talent! San Francisco will embrace you but most importantly, always stay true to yourself. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!”
Congratulations to Nick Bosa on being picked number two in the NFL Draft. You will be a great player for years to come, maybe one of the best. Big Talent! San Francisco will embrace you but most importantly, always stay true to yourself. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 27, 2019
Social media users asked Trump why he congratulated Bosa and not the no. 1 draft pick, Kyler Murray, who is Black.
You do realize that another player went #1 overall in the draft, right ahead of Bosa, right?
His name is Kyler Murray pic.twitter.com/xiOkXTMm3Y
— Ed Krassenstein (@EdKrassen) April 27, 2019
Former ESPN host Jemele Hill tweeted: “The issue isn’t that Trump didn’t praise the no 1 pick. The issue is that Trump praised the no 2 pick, who seems to be drawn to social media pages of white nationalists, and people who use racial and homophobic slurs.”
Bosa, who was the San Francisco 49ers’ top draft pick on Thursday, apologized for a controversial tweet that referred to former 49ers quarterback Kaepernick as a “clown.”
Calling his tweet a “bad decision,” Bosa said, “I mean, I respect what he’s done. If it empowers anybody, then he’s doing a good thing, so I apologize for that.”
In an interview prior to draft day, Bosa said his agent went through his social media timelines and deleted posts praising Trump and bashing Kaepernick and Beyonce.
In other tweets, Bosa called Beyonce’s music “trash” and said the movie Black Panther was the “worst Marvel movie” in the franchise. He also ‘liked’ Instagram posts that featured the N-word and homophobic slurs.
“I definitely made some insensitive decisions throughout my life,” Bosa said. “I’m just excited to be here with a clean slate. I’m sorry if I hurt anybody. I definitely didn’t intend for that to be the case.”
Bosa said he knew he would go to San Francisco, Kaepernick’s former team in a city known for its liberal politics.
“I had to,” he said of his decision to scrub the Trump and Kaepernick tweets. “There is a chance I might end up in San Francisco.”
“I think me being here is even better for me as a person because I don’t think there’s any city that will help you grow as much as this one will. I’m going to be surrounded with people, all different kinds. I’m going to grow as a person.”
Kaepernick was blacklisted by the NFL for kneeling during the national anthem. He reportedly settled with the NFL for less than $10 million.
Photo by Frederick Breedon/Getty Images
