An attorney for a man who attacked a minor for wearing a hat during the national anthem so aggressively that he cracked the child’s skull said that his client thought he was acting on President Donald Trump’s orders.

Attorney Lance Jasper said that his client, Curt Brockway, has significant brain damage and took Trump’s rhetoric as guidance to slam a 13-year-old to the floor at a fairgrounds in Superior, Montana, according to the Missoulian.

“His commander in chief is telling people that if they kneel, they should be fired, or if they burn a flag, they should be punished,” Jasper said. “He certainly didn’t understand it was a crime.”

Brockway allegedly told the teen to remove the hat while the anthem played, to which the boy responded: “fuck you,” sparking Brockway’s attack.

Brockway was allegedly severely injured in a car accident and has impaired judgment as a result.

“Trump never necessarily says go hurt somebody, but the message is absolutely clear,” Jasper said. “I am certain of the fact that [Brockway] was doing what he believed he was told to do, essentially, by the president.”