Story highlights Trump is currently embroiled in a five-day controversy with the NFL

"Was I preoccupied? Not at all. Not at all. I have plenty of time on my hands," Trump said

(CNN) President Donald Trump said Tuesday that he has "not at all" been "preoccupied" by the NFL and the controversy surrounding the National Anthem.

"I wasn't preoccupied with the NFL," Trump told reporters in the Rose Garden. "I was ashamed of what was taking place."

Trump is currently embroiled in a five-day controversy with the NFL since he first commented on players protesting the National Anthem at a rally in Alabama on Friday. Between Friday and midday Tuesday, Trump tweeted 24 times about the NFL, but only four times about Puerto Rico , which has been plunged into a humanitarian crisis in the wake of Hurricane Maria.

"Was I preoccupied? Not at all. Not at all. I have plenty of time on my hands," Trump said defending his time spent on the subject. "All I do is work."

Trump specifically defended himself against claims he was distracted from responding to the devastation in Puerto Rico, calling himself "totally focused".

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