The campaigner-in-chief is at it again, taunting an old nemesis during a roadshow in Montana.

With the start of the NFL preseason only weeks away, President Donald Trump is again pounding the league for its refusal to make its overpriced employees show respect to the American flag on game day. Trump ruffled a lot of feathers and bruised some egos last season by calling out players who chose to kneel rather than stand while the flag was presented during the national anthem.

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Team owners, more afraid of the player's union than the fans, watched as attendance and viewership numbers dipped all season, resulting in a new policy that requires players to stand for the anthem if they are on the field, but allows them to hide out in the locker room while the anthem is played.

Trump told supporters in Great Falls that the new policy is actually "worse" than the old one:

“They passed this stupid thing. You don’t have to do this anymore if you don’t respect the flag or if you don’t like the country or whatever it is, just go into the locker room.”

“I think in many respects that’s worse. Isn’t that worse than not standing? You know? I think that’s worse. You know what? It doesn’t play. It doesn’t play. I actually think in many ways it’s worse.”

Trump has been a master of the PR game since before being elected and seems only to get better with time. Heading into the midterms in November, Trump knows how beneficial it is to put the Democrats and the NFL in a position to have to defend football players who most Americans believe to be disrespecting their flag.

Barry Richard is the host of The Barry Richard Show on 1420 WBSM New Bedford. He can be heard weekdays from noon to 3 p.m. Contact him at barry@wbsm.com and follow him on Twitter @BarryJRichard58. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of the author. 

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