U.S. President Donald Trump speaks at a campaign fundraising luncheon for Rep. Ted Budd (R-NC) and GOP congressional candidate Mark Harris at Carmel Country Club in Charlotte, NC, U.S., August 31, 2018. REUTERS/Yuri Gripas/File Photo

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that Nike was sending “a terrible message” with an advertising campaign featuring Colin Kaepernick, the NFL quarterback whose decision to kneel during the national anthem sparked a national controversy.

“I think as far as sending a message, I think it’s a terrible message and a message that shouldn’t be sent,” Trump said in an interview with the Daily Caller. “There’s no reason for it.”

Trump, who has frequently railed against the decision by NFL players to kneel during the anthem, acknowledged in the interview that the company had “certain freedoms to do things that other people think you shouldn’t do.”