Former NFL-er jabs White House over picture
Doug Baldwin, a former outspoken Pro-Bowler criticized President Trump over the diversity of his staffers.
Two-time Pro Bowl wide receiver Doug Baldwin took a jab at the White House Saturday over a photo that showed President Trump and administration staffers with former press secretary Sarah Sanders for the final time.
Sanders had tweeted her thanks to Trump and the administration for allowing her to serve as press secretary. Trump announced in mid-June that Sanders would be stepping down from the role. Stephanie Grisham, the former spokeswoman for first lady Melania Trump, took over for Sanders.
Baldwin, who had been a critic of the Trump presidency when he was with the Seattle Seahawks, took a jab at the administration while commenting on the Sanders photo.
“Is this why they call it the White House?” he tweeted.
He later added: “You can not meet the diverse needs of the people when those who represent them are not diverse themselves.”
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Baldwin was outspoken during the firestorm surrounding Trump’s comments about former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick and those who decided to kneel during the national anthem in support of him and what he was trying to draw attention to.
“He’s (Trump) an idiot, plain and simple. I mean, listen, I respect the man because he’s a human being, first and foremost. But he’s being more divisive, which is not surprising. It is what it is,” Baldwin said in 2018, according to USA Today.
“But for him to say anybody who doesn’t follow his viewpoints, or his constituents’ viewpoints, should be kicked out of the country, it’s just not very empathetic. It’s not very American-like, to me. It’s not very patriotic. It’s not what this country was founded upon,” he added. “So it’s kind of ironic to me that the president of the United States is contradicting what our country is really built on.”
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Baldwin announced his retirement from the NFL after the 2018 season. He spent his entire career with the Seahawks, catching 493 balls for 6,563 yards and 49 touchdowns. He also won a Super Bowl with the team during the 2013 season.
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