Story highlights Trump claims Kaepernick wasn't getting picked up because teams were avoiding his Twitter retribution

Kaepernick famously knelt during the national anthem

Washington (CNN) President Donald Trump veered off message Monday night at a campaign-style rally aimed largely at pushing for the Republican health care overhaul to take credit for a completely different issue: keeping former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick out of a job.

While talking to the crowd in Louisville, Kentucky, about the nation's urban communities, Trump swerved in midstream and cited a report that NFL owners were avoiding hiring Kaepernick because they did not want to face Trump's Twitter wrath.

"Our inner cities will find a rebirth of hope, safety and opportunity," Trump said before bringing up Kaepernick's free agency. "Your San Francisco quarterback, I'm sure nobody ever heard of him."

Then the President clarified he was citing an article he had read.

"It was reported that NFL owners don't want to pick him up because they don't want to get a nasty tweet from Donald Trump," he said. "Do you believe that? I just saw that. I just saw that."

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