Donald Trump was met with presidential boos upon his arrival at the National Championship Game in Atlanta on Monday evening.
As Trump’s motorcade drove in to the Mercedes-Benz Stadium for the college football match-off between Georgia and Alabama, fans waiting outside in the rain began to boo.
The moment was captured and posted online by CNN’s Andy Scholes.
They locked down @MBStadium for @realDonaldTrump an hour ago and myself and a thousand fans have been waiting in the rain to get in. Let’s just say there were plenty of boos when Trump arrived pic.twitter.com/6XIr8YO5gO
— Andy Scholes (@AndyScholesCNN) January 8, 2018
“They locked down @MBStadium for @realDonaldTrump an hour ago and myself and a thousand fans have been waiting in the rain to get in. Let’s just say there were plenty of boos when Trump arrived,” Scholes tweeted.
Super obvious Trump doesn’t know the words to our National Anthem. Disgraceful for any president, but particularly bad given his months of race-baiting rants against NFL players kneeling to demand justice. pic.twitter.com/jUD0hBqo9N
— Kaivan Shroff (@KaivanShroff) January 9, 2018
O say, can you, SING?
Unfortunately for Trump, it wasn’t just boos that got the attention during his visit.
Video of Trump singing “The Star Spangled Banner” during the sports event suggests he doesn’t actually know the words to the national anthem.
Trump doesn’t know the words to the anthem?? pic.twitter.com/NkGI95hX6c
— adam ferrone (@_rone) January 9, 2018
Guess we can now add not knowing the anthem as another non-requirement for being president, thanks to Trump.
Planned anti-Trump protests
Before the president’s arrival to Atlanta, anti-Trump protests were already planned by local organizers.
While the NAACP said that they would not be part of the protest, the civil rights organization did encourage people at the game to wear white.
“The Atlanta NAACP will not be officially participating in a protest outside at the game. Trump has made a terrible decision and is disrupting (the game) with his presence,” the NAACP’s local chapter said on Facebook on Sunday. “We respect those who choose to do so, and we fully expect some groups who will be protesting outside the game.”
Still, they said, “we will not let the President’s visit go without a response.”
“If you are lucky enough to attend the game, we encourage you to bring a white towel to wave simulating a blizzard while the president is in the packed stadium. Trump supporters mockingly call the opposition snowflakes, but when we come together we create a mighty storm.”
“We are presently working with a number of civil rights/social justice organizations and we will share additional plans as appropriate,” the organization said.
Protesters gathered in front of the CNN Center. Refuse Fascism ATL organizers unfurled an anti-Trump banner and spoke into a megaphone about how @realDonaldTrump must go. More on the anticipated protests here => https://t.co/uOINy1jRHp #UGA2ATL pic.twitter.com/qBwsmyjUiw
— AJC (@ajc) January 8, 2018
If you don’t like Atlanta, don’t come
Trump has recently criticized Atlanta as “horrible” and “crime infested.” This prompted a response from Richard Rose, the president of the Atlanta NAACP chapter, who said in a message to Trump on MSNBC that if Atlanta is “so bad, don’t come.”
Refuse Fascism ATL has also said that they will be planning a protest ahead of Trump’s arrival. They plan to “take a knee against Trump” outside CNN’s world headquarters shortly before Trump arrives two hours prior to kickoff.