Toronto Star

At the twilight’s last what? Trump flubs anthem

- CHRIS SOMMERFELD­T NEW YORK DAILY NEWS

His right hand over his heart, U.S. President Donald Trump seemingly butchered the national anthem while standing near the 40-yard line before the college football championsh­ip game in Atlanta on Monday night.

Footage showed Trump mouthing the wrong words as a choir of four harmonized, “at the twilight’s last gleaming.”

The White House did not respond to a request for comment from the Daily News.

Before his apparent anthem flub, Trump was welcomed onto the field by a mixture of boos and cheers.

The White House announced last week that Trump would attend the championsh­ip game between the University of Alabama and the University of Georgia.

Trump’s apparent slurring of the words stands in sharp contrast to his repeated attacks on Black NFL players kneeling during the anthem.

Trump insists that the protesting footballer­s are “disrespect­ing” the flag and the anthem.

Activists have attempted to correct Trump, pointing out that the players are protesting racism and police brutality, not the flag or the anthem.

But Trump has refused to back down.

Before travelling to Atlanta from Tennessee on Monday afternoon, the president tweeted, “We want our flag respected —and we want our NATIONAL ANTHEM respected also.”

Trump’s anthem fail set off a Twitter-storm of seething sarcasm. “You know who knows the words to the National Anthem? Colin Kaepernick,” Charlotte Clymer tweeted, referring to the football quarterbac­k who kicked off the kneeling protests. “Trump, you’re a disgrace.”

 ?? DOUG MILLS/THE NEW YORK TIMES ?? At a college football championsh­ip game Monday, U.S. President Donald Trump appeared to mouth the wrong words to “The Star-Spangled Banner.”
DOUG MILLS/THE NEW YORK TIMES At a college football championsh­ip game Monday, U.S. President Donald Trump appeared to mouth the wrong words to “The Star-Spangled Banner.”

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