'Fox & Friends' host calls out Trump over NFL comments: 'He made things immeasurably worse by speaking out'
In a segment on Monday morning, Kilmeade pointed out that Trump's rhetoric calling for the players to be fired and labeling former San Francisco 49's quarterback Colin Kaepernick a "son of a b----" were out of line enough that not even New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft, who is a Trump ally, would defend him.
"The president, and I understand his sentiment, made things so much worse and the language he used was terrible," Kilmeade said.
"He made things immeasurably worse by speaking out. And I know what his intention was, but it was galvanizing in the wrong direction."
Co-host Ainsley Earhardt said that while she did not "necessarily agree with him," Trump was the "voice for a lot of people out there."
"A lot of people agree with him, and are scared to give their opinions," Earhardt said.
Kilmeade, who has repeatedly admonished Kaepernick for protesting during the anthem, was one of the first major Trump boosters on the network to seriously criticize the president's comments.
Over the weekend, other opinion hosts backed the president.
"Don't give me this crap that you want to support reform and stand up against social injustice," Judge Jeanine Pirro said on her Fox News show Saturday. "Shame on you. Shame on all of you. And shame on you too, Roger Goodell, for not showing you love this country as much as the president does."
Hosts like "Fox & Friends Weekend" host Pete Hegseth also supported Trump's dis-invitation of Golden State Warriors star Steph Curry, who was considering skipping an upcoming White House visit.
"He's a millionaire millennial," Hegseth said of Curry. "He's lived a coddled life where he shoots a ball for a living."
Trump's remarks sparked widespread condemnation in the league. Over 150 players joined protests before Sunday's games to oppose police brutality and racial injustice, and a number of NFL owners spoke out against Trump's rhetoric.