President Trump said NFL team owners “did the right thing” by requiring players to stand during the National Anthem – suggesting that those who don’t perhaps “shouldn’t be in the country.”

“You have to stand proudly for the National Anthem and the NFL owners did the right thing if that’s what they’ve done,” Trump told “Fox & Friends” in an interview that aired Thursday morning.

Trump had been speaking at a roundtable on immigration on Long Island when NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell announced the policy Wednesday.

The policy requires players and personnel to stand for “The Star-Spangled Banner” or face fines — though each team may develop its own rules about those who do not comply with the new rules.

The new policy also gives players the option to stay in the locker room during the playing of the anthem if they do not wish to comply.

“Well I think that’s good,” Trump told Fox News. “I don’t think people should be staying in locker rooms. But still I think it’s good. You have to stand proudly for the National Anthem,” he said.

“You shouldn’t be playing, you shouldn’t be there. Maybe they shouldn’t be in the country,” he added.

The president credited the fans for pushing the league to take a stand.

“I think the people pushed it forward, this was not me. I brought it out. I think the people pushed it forward,” Trump said. “This country is very smart. We have very smart people, and that’s something ideally could have been taken care of when it first started. It would have been a lot easier.”

Last year, Trump described players who kneeled during the anthem to draw attention to racial injustice as “sons of bitches” who were insulting the flag and the country.

His remarks sparked a wave of kneeling protests across the NFL, angering some fans and placing some Trump-supporting team owners in an awkward position as TV ratings dropped.