During his news conference with the Prime Minister of Spain, President Trump dismissed the notion that his fight against National Anthem kneelers is a distraction from bigger political issues.

Trump was asked by Steve Holland of Reuters about whether his last few days of tweeting meant that he was focused more on protesting professional athletes than other, more-pressing concerns. Trump insisted he wasn’t preoccupied with his feud, and that he was voicing how “ashamed” he is by people who “disrespect” the country with their protests.

“To me the NFL situation is a very important situation. I’ve heard that before about — ‘was I preoccupied?’ — not at all,” said Trump. “I have plenty of time on my hands. All I do is work, and to be honest with you, that’s an important function of working. It is called respect for our country.”

Trump went on to argue that he’s been quite engaged on the emergency situation in Puerto Rico. As he spoke about FEMA’s efforts to help address the island’s recent devastation, Trump said it doesn’t take him long to draft a tweet about the “disgraceful” people disrespecting the country and the military.

“I think it is very important for the NFL to not allow people to kneel,” said Trump.

Ever since Trump brought up kneeling professional athletes during a Friday rally, he has issued a plethora of tweets to drive the issue. Reports out Tuesday have indicated that Trump is happy with himself for sparking a controversial discussion with his attacks against footballers who kneel in protest of racism and injustice.

Watch above, via CNN.

[Image via screengrab]

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