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Sports announcer Bob Costas and Bill Maher took Donald Trump to task for criticizing NFL protestors who "disrespect the flag" by kneeling during the National Anthem.
POTUS went on a rant Friday night during a speech in Alabama, saying, "Wouldn't you love to see one of these NFL owners, when somebody disrespects our flag, say, 'Get that son of a bitch off the field right now. Out, you're fired!"
"I think a guy should be able to not stand for the National Anthem," Maher said to his guest on Friday's "Real Time with Bill Maher."
"Even people who disagree with him recognize that you'd be crazy to deny the right of expression that the people they rightly revere – for having put their lives on the line to protect it, and ensure it - why would you deprive someone of that right, even if you disagree with it?" asked Costas.
Maher's response: "He is consistently awful."
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"The anthem doesn't just represent the nations flaws or it doesn't just represent the military or the police; it represents the nation's ideals as well," Costas told Maher. "That's what makes this a little bit complicated."
"I would have the P.A. guy say, 'Please stand for our national anthem and in recognition of the ideals it represents,'" Costas said. "That would then encompass conservatives, liberals and everyone in between. I think that would make it more palatable."
