President Donald Trump said he was pleased that the NFL player protests during the national anthem had largely died out.

“They haven’t been kneeling and they have been respecting the flag and their ratings have been terrific ever since,” Trump said. “And a lot of good things happened.”

The president commented on the issue during an interview with CBS host Margaret Brennan. He said that protests should never take place during the national anthem.

“I think that when you want to protest I think that’s great,” Trump said. “But I don’t think you do it at the sake of our flag, at the sake of our national anthem. Absolutely.”

The president reminded Brennan that he signed a criminal justice reform bill, a bill that many NFL players supported.

“A lot of people in the NFL have been calling and thanking me for it,” he said.

He urged all Americans to respect the flag and the national anthem.

“I think that people have to, at all times, respect our flag and at all times respect our national anthem and our country,” he said. “And I think there are plenty of places and times you can protest and you can do a lot. But you can’t do that. That’s my opinion.”