Does Donald Trump Want the Pandemic to Shut Down the NFL Season?

An article on website Daily Snark went viral on Facebook, racking up more than 125,000 views in the first six hours after it was published. The article’s headline proclaims: “President Trump Says He Hopes The NFL Season Gets Canceled Due To Coronavirus.”

The article is about Trump’s recent interview with Fox Sports Radio host Clay Travis, who asked Trump how confident he was that the NFL would be able to hold its season. Trump replied: “Well they want to open, and they want to open badly and they’ve been working with government. I would say this: if they don’t stand for the national anthem I hope they don’t open, but other than that I’d love to see them open and we’re doing everything possible for getting them open.”

The Daily Snark article accurately describes the interaction between Travis and Trump, saying: “Trump also took time to once again rip the NFL, saying that the league may want to have a 2020 season despite the fallout of the Coronavirus outbreak, but if the players kneel, he hopes the league doesn’t open.” However, the headline errs in claiming that Trump said he hopes the coronavirus pandemic shuts down the NFL season.

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Photo by Nick Cammett/Diamond Images/Getty Images.

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