Donald Trump on Monday inundated Jerry Jones with phone calls, as the Dallas Cowboys owner geared up to join his team in kneeling before the national anthem.
Jones, who helped bankroll Trump’s inauguration, defied the president’s wishes during a Monday night game against the Cardinals in Arizona. According to Dallas Morning News senior sports reporter Jean-Jacques Taylor, two sources told NBC Dallas-Fort Worth the president was so anxious to discuss the NFL protests that he contacted the Dallas Cowboys owner four times in one day.
Trump’s behavior—which is more reminiscent of a scorned ex-girlfriend than the President of the United States—indicates the president may be more concerned with NFL protests than he’s trying to lead on. Tuesday, Trump insist he “wasn’t preoccupied” by players’ decisions to exercise their Constitutional rights, despite an early morning tweetstorm Monday that appeared to prove otherwise.
In total, Trump has tweeted 24 times about the NFL protests. Meanwhile, he’s sent a mere four tweets regarding the unfolding humanitarian crisis in Puerto Rico. The U.S. territory is still suffering from a lack of basic necessities—including food, fuel and water—over a week after Hurricane Maria first made landfall.
By Wednesday morning, Trump was able to tell the world he finally "spoke to Jerry Jones of the Dallas Cowboys," telling Twitter, "Jerry is a winner who knows how to get things done. Players will stand for Country!”
Trump did not tweet about Puerto Rico on Wednesday.
