President Barack Obama has not weighed in on the Colin Kaepernick controversial decision to sit during the national anthem, but the White House defended the NFL quarterback’s right to do so.

During the White House press briefing on Monday, press secretary Josh Earnest reminded reporters that the 49ers quarterback had the right to his protest in the United States.

“I certainly don’t share the views that Mr. Kaepernick expressed after the game in explaining his reasoning for his actions,” Earnest said. “But we surely all acknowledge and even defend his right to express those views in the settings that he chooses.”

Earnest rarely shares his personal opinion about the news, but he sometimes chooses to do so in the absence of a reaction from the President.

“Even as objectionable as we find his perspective, he certainly is entitled to express them,” Earnest said.