Video appears to show Trump pretending to conduct band during anthem

Image: Donald Trump, Melania Trump
President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump view the Florida Atlantic University Marching Band perform at the Trump International Golf Club as they arrive for a Super Bowl viewing party in West Palm Beach on Feb 2, 2020. Copyright Nicholas Kamm AFP - Getty Images
Copyright Nicholas Kamm AFP - Getty Images
By Phil Helsel and Caitlin Fichtel and Sasha Urban with NBC News Politics
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The president has made an issue of NFL players who kneel when the anthem is played.

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Video appears to show President Donald Trump at a Super Bowl watch party on Sunday pretending to conduct the band as the national anthem played.

The Miami Herald first reportedon the video, which it said was an Instagram video. The Instagram "story" has since expired, as they typically last only 24 hours.

The video appears to show Trump standing during the anthem and gesturing as though he were conducting a band. Trump remains standing in the video shown by the Herald.

Trump has in the past criticized NFL players who kneel during the anthem as disrespectful, including in 2018 when he said, "You have to stand proudly for the national anthem, or you shouldn't be playing, you shouldn't be there. Maybe you shouldn't be in the country."

The White House has not responded to a request for comment.

Trump on Sunday made a gaffe on Twitter when he praised the state of Kansas after the Kansas City Chiefs beat the San Francisco 49ers, 31-20. The Chiefs are in Kansas City, Missouri. The president later deleted the tweet and congratulated Missouri.

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