Echoing Fox & Friends, Trump blasts NFL player for sitting during national anthem

Trump also tweeted directly at Fox & Friends quoting their chyron, “Analysts predict economic boom for 2018”

President Donald Trump once again tweeted along to Fox News' morning show, Fox & Friends, this time complaining about an NFL player they criticized and quoting their cyron during a segment about the economy.

Trump tweeted about NFL player Marshawn Lynch sitting during the U.S. national anthem about 15 minutes after Fox & Friends ran a segment on Lynch’s decision to sit during the anthem. At 6:07 a.m., Fox & Friends discussed Lynch’s decision to sit during the U.S. national anthem and stand during the Mexican national anthem at a November 19 game played in Mexico City. Co-host Brian Kilmeade called Lynch’s decision “an international embarrassment,” urged the NFL players’ union to “crack down” on those who refuse to stand during the national anthem, and claimed that, because of NFL player protests, NFL “attendance is down. Ratings are down.”

At 6:25 a.m., Trump tweeted this:

In a later segment, Fox & Friends guest Stuart Varney, host of the Fox Business show Varney & Co., claimed Trump “has succeeded on the economy. And if that’s the main point of getting re-elected, well, he’s doing well” because the “unemployment rate [is] 4.1 percent, and Goldman Sachs says it’s going down.” During the segment, a cyron (the text in the lower third of the screen) read “Analysts predict economic boom for 2018,” which Trump later repeated in a tweet:

Trump has a symbiotic relationship with Fox News and a special affinity for Fox & Friends. Many of Trump’s morning Twitter tirades echo things that appeared on Fox & Friends that same day.

From the November 20 edition of Fox News’ Fox & Friends:

BRIAN KILMEADE (CO-HOST): Before the first kick, there was international news. It was the first story in Drudge most of the day. Marshawn Lynch, famed for saying, “I'm just here so I won't get fined,” takes a seat and will not get fined in Mexico. Sits during the American national anthem, stands for the Mexican national anthem.

AINSLEY EARHARDT (CO-HOST): Why would were they playing in Mexico City?

KILMEADE: Well, they always do. They look to spread -- yeah, they spread the NFL out to London on a regular basis and Mexico City on a regular basis.

EARHARDT: All right, well that's a question a lot of people who don't follow the NFL, like you do, they’re asking out there.

STEVE DOOCY (CO-HOST): Yeah, but here’s the thing. He has -- ever since he returned from requirement to the [Oakland] Raiders, he has sat down through every time they’ve done the national anthem. And -- so he sat through the Star-Spangled Banner yesterday in Mexico. But as soon as they started playing the Mexican national anthem, he stood up. And a lot of people are just not too happy.

EARHARDT: Reminds me of what happened in the U.K. Remember, they didn’t stand, some of them didn't stand for the national anthem? They stood for --

DOOCY: Exactly the same thing.

KILMEADE: Well yeah, this is an international embarrassment. When you go overseas and pull this stuff after the league has been urging you not to. A lot of people are blaming the commissioner, but I blame the players union. The players union has got to crack down, because it's hurting the league. Nine percent, the attendance is down. Ratings are down. They’re making themselves vulnerable while they’re also having a civil war between owners and commissioner.

STEVE DOOCY (CO-HOST): But, Stuart, I also saw a statistic where they were talking about, even with approval polls where, if the general public doesn't care for the president, they really like his economic policies so far. 

STUART VARNEY: And so they should, because he has succeeded on the economy. And if that's the main point of getting reelected, well, he is doing well. On unemployment, 4.1 percent, and Goldman Sachs says it's going down. The economy is expanding at a 3 percent growth rate. We'll get 3.5 percent next year, maybe more if we get the tax cut package. 

DOOCY: Is all of this stuff because of President Trump?

VARNEY: Well, no. The world economy is growing. That's helping us. That's not what President Trump has done for us. But the growth in the domestic economy, the improvement in jobs, and the lack of -- the getting rid of regulation, that is President Trump. This is the Trump rally on the stock market, make no mistake about it.

This post has been updated.