“Less than three hours after President Trump called on NFL owners to suspend or fire players who protest during the national anthem, the Baltimore Ravens and Jacksonville Jaguars — the first teams to play on Sunday — linked arms or took a knee during the playing of ‘The Star-Spangled Banner’ before the teams 9:30 a.m. EDT kickoff in London’s Wembley Stadium,” the Washington Post reports.

“Ravens Coach John Harbaugh joined his players, linking arms, and Ravens Hall of Famer Ray Lewis took a knee. Jaguars owner Shahid Khan, who had contributed $1 million to the Trump inauguration, locked arms with his players in what is believed to be the first visible participation in relation to anthem protests by a league owner.”

Mike Allen quoted former Clinton advisor Doug Sosnik on what President Trump is trying to accomplish by attacking professional athletes who protest during the national anthem: “One of Trump’s typical moves is to toss a bomb out of nowhere to deflect what is really bothering him, in the hopes that the press will be distracted.”

He added: “There is a good chance that the candidate he endorsed and campaigned for will lose in the Alabama Senate primary. On top of that, it looks like … another failed Republican attempt to repeal Obamacare. So he figures that the shows on Sunday focusing on his fights with professional athletes is more appealing than a discussion about how he is becoming a loser.”

A new Washington Post-ABC News poll finds most Americans see President Trump as a divisive figure who has yet to fulfill his campaign promise to positively change the way Washington works.

“More than twice as many Americans say Trump is doing more to divide the country than to unify it, 66% vs. 28%. The margin is significantly more negative than those recorded for Obama and Bush; at most, 55 percent of Americans said Obama or Bush was dividing the country.”

“Trump’s overall job approval rating has stabilized at 39% in the new poll after slipping to 36% in July. The shift is within the poll’s margin of sampling error but is mirrored in the small rise in other recent national polls.”

“President Trump on Sunday morning renewed his demand that NFL owners fire or suspend players who kneel during the national anthem in protest, again urging that fans should boycott the sport to force change,” the Washington Post reports.

Tweeted the president:

If NFL fans refuse to go to games until players stop disrespecting our Flag & Country, you will see change take place fast. Fire or suspend!

NFL attendance and ratings are WAY DOWN. Boring games yes, but many stay away because they love our country. League should back U.S.