One of the main reasons President Trump lightened up on his criticism of the NFL during the '18 season came from Patriots Owner Robert Kraft seeking Trump's "assistance on an obscure trade issue that would allow the league to reap millions more dollars from Canadian broadcasting rights to the Super Bowl," according to sources cited by Noah Bierman of the L.A. TIMES. Kraft has been called one of Trump's "closest friends." A source said that Trump was "quite happy he could get that problem solved," and the "tension eased after that." Bierman reported that is not the only factor NFL officials attribute to the "truce" between Trump and the league. Other reasons include team owners' "capitulation to his demand that they curb on-field player protests, the rebound in TV ratings and, perhaps, Trump's sense that he's squeezed all the political juice he can from the issue" (LATIMES.com, 2/3). Trump during an appearance yesterday on CBS' "Face the Nation" said, "I did them a big favor negotiating the USMCA, which is basically the replacement to NAFTA. ... I said to Canada, ‘Look, we have a great American company known as the NFL.’ They were being hurt and treated unfairly, the NFL, by Canada for a long time. I said to Prime Minister Trudeau, who was very nice about it and really understood it, ‘I hope you can settle the difference immediately and fast.’ And they did. I did the NFL a big favor as a great American company, and they appreciated it. Roger Goodell ... called me and thanked me" ("Face the Nation," CBS, 2/3).
TRUMP PLEASED WITH DECREASED KNEELING: The number of players kneeling during the national anthem this season was down considerably from last season, and Trump during his CBS appearance acknowledged that players "haven't been kneeling and they've been respecting the flag." He said, "When you want to protest -- I think that's great, but I don't think you do it at the sake of our flag, at the sake of our national anthem." After the taped interview with Trump aired, CBS' James Brown said he does not know if the NFL has "moved past" the issue of players kneeling, as it is "not an issue that can be moved past." Brown said, "Many of the athletes feel compelled to do such because of the systemic issues that are a real pathology in their communities. They just want to engage in a meaningful, collaborative approach to answering some of these things." He added, "The narrative has been that the players are being anti-patriotic, anti-flag, anti-police, anti-military. These are players who have family members who are in the military, who are law enforcement officers and are looking for a meaningful way to create something to create dialogue, which has happened. If the narrative has been hijacked to say no matter what, it's a non-starter, you're not hearing. The two sides ought to hear each other to make progress” ("Face the Nation," CBS, 2/3).
A REAL POWER COUPLE: Kraft on Friday said Trump is "working very hard to serve the best interests of the country." Kraft has enjoyed a long friendship with the President, and he said, "I’ve had a lot of people give me advice, and he’s been very supportive." Fox News' Brian Kilmeade pointed out that Trump tweeted out a congratulatory message to the Pats after they won AFC Championship ("Fox & Friends," Fox News, 2/1). Kraft said that he and Trump "forged a stronger friendship" when Myra Kraft died of cancer in '11. In West Palm Beach, Darrell Hofheinz noted Myra's death "devastated Kraft," and Trump and his wife, Melania, "expressed a continuing concern for him and his family." Both Trump and Kraft spend "plenty of time during the winter" in Palm Beach (PALMBEACHPOST.com 2/1).
