Trump Reacts to Nike Ad Controversy¶
When asked about the Nike advertisement that featured Colin Kaepernick and whether US Army Corporal Pat Tillman would have been a better choice to depict the virtue of sacrifice, President Trump responded, “He’s a war hero because he was killed. I like people who weren’t killed.”
Democrats immediately pounced on the remarks, claiming that the President’s comments were insensitive and indicated he had little respect for American troops who died in combat.
Even some Republicans joined in criticizing the President, including the administration’s own Secretary of Energy, Rick Perry, “Pat Tillman is an American hero and all troops killed in action deserve our nation’s highest debt of gratitude. The President’s comments are distasteful.”
Shortly after, Trump released a statement saying, “I am not a fan of Pat Tillman because he has done so little for our Veterans.”
Trump added that he has, “great respect for all those who serve in our military including those that weren’t killed and are also heroes.”
Pat Tillman was not available for comment.