Donald Trump slams Giants for kneeling during national anthem, MLB lends support to Giants

During Monday evening's exhibition contest between the San Franciso Giants and the Oakland Athletics, members of the Giants team, including their coach Gabe Kapler, took a knee during the national anthem. The Giants' kneeling display during the national anthem was to show their support for the Black Lives Matter movement. However, US President Donald Trump didn't take too kindly to the Giants kneeling and slammed the team on Twitter.

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Donald Trump responds to Giants kneeling during the national anthem

US President Donald Trump took to Twitter to reiterate his staunch anti-kneeling stance on Tuesday morning. Trump wrote that he is looking forward to the MLB 2020 season and other sports in the country resuming, but believes watching players kneel during the national anthem is still a sign of disrespect to the flag and the country. Donald Trump concluded by stating that the games are 'over' for him when players kneel during the national anthem. Donald Trump's tweet about the Giants kneeling got him over 260k likes. 

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San Francisco Giants coach Gabe Kapler kneeling with team

According to reports from ESPN, San Francisco Giants coach Gabe Kapler is planning to use his position to speak out against racial injustice. The Giants coach was spotted kneeling with his team prior to the exhibition game against Oakland Athletics on Monday. Kapler is believed to be the first head coach in any of the four major North American pro sports leagues to protest by kneeling while the national anthem was being played. It was the first time that members of an MLB team knelt during the national anthem since Bruce Maxwell took a knee in solidarity with former NFL star Colin Kaepernick in 2017.

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Giants' African-American star Jaylin Davis and first-base coach Antoan Richardson also took a knee during the anthem. The MLB's official Twitter account also tweeted the video with a 'Black Lives Matter' caption. Prior to Monday's Giants vs Oakland exhibition match, LA Angels pitcher Keynan Middleton took a knee and raised a fist during the national anthem in San Diego before their exhibition match against the LA Dodgers. With the MLB 2020 season to resume from Thursday night onwards, a number of players from different teams are expected to participate in the protest. 

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Image Credits - San Francisco Giants Twitter