WASHINGTON — New England Patriot owner Robert Kraft assailed President Trump’s ridicule of NFL protests as “divisive” and “horrible” during a meeting of NFL owners last fall, according to a report by The New York Times, which obtained an audio recording of the gathering.

“The problem we have is, we have a president who will use that as fodder to do his mission that I don’t feel is in the best interests of America,” said Kraft, a Trump supporter whose friendship Trump frequently touts, according to the Times. “It’s divisive and it’s horrible.”

Requests for comment from the Patriots organization and the White House were not returned.

The owners’ meeting, held in October but the details of which were reported by the Times yesterday, was held as Trump repeatedly expressed his anger at NFL players who kneeled during the national anthem in protest of police brutality against black Americans.

“Wouldn’t you love to see one of these NFL owners when somebody disrespects our flag to say, ‘Get that son of a (expletive) off the field,’ ” Trump said during a September speech in Alabama.

Kraft told other owners at the meeting that Trump’s rhetoric on kneeling was an “elephant in the room.”

The gathering ended with Kraft and other owners pushing for a joint statement focused on efforts to bridge divisions and foster unity.

“It would be good if you could work in the word ‘unified’ or ‘unity’ in some fashion,” Kraft said during the meeting about a proposed joint statement.

Later that day the owners released a joint statement that read in part: “Today owners and players had a productive meeting focused on how we can work together to promote positive social change and address inequality in our communities.”