LIZ: SO ABOUT 25-28 MINUTES AGO
PRESIDENT F F T WELCOMED A
MILITARY BAND AND A BIG CROWD
AND THEY CALLED IT THE
CELEBRATION FOR AMERICA AND IT
WAS SUPPOSED TO BE THE BIG SUPER
BOWL CHAMPION INVITE HERE BUT
THEN WELL THERE'S ALL KINDS OF
CONTROVERSY ABOUT THAT THE
PHILADELPHIA EAGLES DIDN'T SHOW
UP THEY PULLED THEIR NUMBER AND
DIMINISHED IT AND THE PRESIDENT
SAID WELL WHAT'S GOING ON FORGET
IT I'M DISINVITING YOU BUT THERE
IS NEW NEWS COMING OUT OF THE
NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE RIGHT
NOW IN FACT WE'RE AHEAD OF THE
NEWS BECAUSE WE'VE GOT CHARLIE
GASPARINO TO BREAK IT.
CHARLIE: LET'S BACK UP A LITTLE
BIT.
TRUMP HAS ESSENTIALLY BEEN USING
THIS AS A POLITICAL WEAPON THIS
PROTEST STUFF.
HE CAME OUT AND CRITICIZED THE
LATEST PLAN BY THE NFL THAT WANT
TO PROTEST STATE IN THE LOCKER
ROOM IS KIND OF WHAT PRECEDED
THIS WHOLE THING WITH THE EAGLES
HE CAME OUT AND SAID THAT'S A
BAD PLAN MATTER OF FACT IF YOU
WANT TO PROTEST EVEN IN THE
LIZ: OUT OF SIGHT.
CHARLIE: YES.
LIZ: THE NFL THOUGHT THEY WERE
COMING UP WITH A COMPROMISE.
CHARLIE: AND THEY THOUGHT THEY
WERE GETTING OUT OF THIS ISSUE.
NOW THIS IS NOT JUST A CULTURAL
ISSUE BUT A BUSINESS ISSUE FOR
THE NFL AND I WILL SAY THIS.
TRUMP HAS THEIR NUMBER ON IT.
THEY KNOW IT.
THE TYPICAL NFL FAN IS
ESSENTIALLY VERY CORRELATES VERY
WELL TO THE TYPICAL TRUMP VOTER.
WHITE MALE, CERTAIN INCOME LEVEL
, UNDER $100,000 A YEAR,
SKEWING MILITARY.
THIS IS TRUMP COUNTRY THAT
WATCHES FOOTBALL AND THAT'S THE
VAST MAJORITY SOMETHING LIKE 60-
70% OF THE NFL VIEWERSHIP IS
MADE UP OF THAT PROFILE, SO THE
NFL IS IN A PICKLE AND SO ARE
THE SPONSORS.
NOW HERE IS WHAT WE KNOW ON
THURSDAY THERE'S GOING TO BE A
PRETTY BIG MEETING BETWEEN MAJOR
NFL SPONSORS AND YOU'RE TALKING
ABOUT FORD, ANHEUSER-BUSCH, VISA
ALL THESE MAJOR SPONSORS.
THEY'RE MEETING WITH
COMMISSIONER GOODELL.
IT'S THEIR ANNUAL MEETING, BUT
THE SUBTEXT OF THIS ANNUAL
MEETING WHICH IS USUALLY A RAH-R
AH THING IS THIS ISSUE AND
THIS PLAYER PROTEST ISSUE WHICH
THE NFL IS TRYING TO THREAD THE
NEEDLE ON HOW IT'S AFFECTING FAN
REACTION A LOT OF FANS STILL
DON'T LIKE, FOOTBALL FANS STILL
DON'T LIKE THE POLICY AND
WHETHER THAT POLICY ESSENTIALLY
REVERBERATES AND IMPACTS THE
BRANDS OF THESE BIG COMPANIES,
PEPSICO IS ANOTHER ONE SO
THEY'RE TRYING TO FIGURE OUT HOW
DO WE ADDRESS THIS BECAUSE THE
CONTROVERSY ISN'T GOING AWAY AND
THE NFL CONFIRMS TO FOX BUSINESS
THAT THE LEAGUE HAS WORKED WITH
SPONSORS TO TRY TO DEVELOP THIS
POLICY, THIS SORT OF MIDDLE OF
THE ROAD, I ACTUALLY THINK IT'S
A PRETTY LEGITIMATE POLICY.
LIZ: WELL GET IT OUT OF SIGHT
WHICH IS QUITE FRANKLY IF YOU
WORK FOR A COMPANY, YOU DON'T
USUALLY GET TO SIT THERE AND
START BLURTING OUT ALL OF YOUR
OWN --
CHARLIE: AND BY THE WAY THE NFL
HAS TRADITIONALLY DIDN'T HAVE
THE PLAYERS STAND FOR THE ANTHEM
IN THE PAST.
THEY WERE IN THE LOCKER ROOM FOR
THE ANTHEM AND BROUGHT IT OUT
POST-9/11 A WAY TO USE
PATRIOTISM AS A MARKETING
GIMMICK ESSENTIALLY SO NOW THAT
THEY CAME BACK TO BITE THEM SO
NOW THEY COME UP WITH THIS
COMPROMISE, WHERE THE PLAYERS
THAT WANT TO KNEEL THEY GOT TO
STAY IN THE LOCKER ROOM OR ELSE
THE TEAMS WILL FACE FINES.
TRUMP STILL ATTACKS THEM, SO
THIS IS VERY MUCH AN ISSUE IN
FLUX.
THE NFL IS GRAPPLING WITH HOW TO
DEAL WITH IT BECAUSE ITS SPONSOR
S ARE WORRIED ABOUT THE
BLOWBACK EFFECT AND I'LL TELL
YOU THIS MAJOR NFL SPONSORS WILL
BE AT THIS THING, VISA,
ANHEUSER-BUSCH IS GOING TO SEND
ITS U.S. UNIT PRESIDENT,
MICHELLE DUCARUS, I DON'T KNOW
IF I SAID THAT RIGHT BUT HE RUNS
THE U.S. UNIT OF ANHEUSER-BUSCH,
PEOPLE THERE TELL ME HE HAS NO
PLANS TO SPEAK WITH GOODELL
DIRECTLY BUT I CAN TELL YOU,
PEOPLE THAT ARE INSIDE THESE
MAJOR SPONSORS ARE TELLING ME
THAT THEY ARE SCARED TO DEATH.
ONE GUY --
LIZ: THEY GOT TO DEAL WITH THIS.
CHARLIE: ONE PERSON AT A TOP NFL
SPONSOR COMPLAINS THAT TRUMP HAS
"OWNED THE LEAGUE" ON THE
PROTEST ISSUE, AND TRUMP IS
TELLING ASSOCIATES, I KNOW THIS,
THAT HE AIN'T LETTING UP.
HE SEES THIS AS A VIABLE
POLITICAL ISSUE FOR HIS BASE
THAT HE CAN CLEARLY WIN.
LISTEN, DONALD TRUMP COMES
ACROSS VOLATILE AND AT TIMES
CRAZY ON A LOT OF ISSUES, BUT HE
DOES HAVE THIS ONE PRETTY MUCH
NAILED.
I MEAN, IF YOU'RE GOING TO TELL
ME, IF YOU LOOK AT THE TYPICAL
NFL FAN, THEY DON'T LIKE ANY
PROTEST DURING THE NATIONAL
ANTHEM.
HE'S GOT THE LEAGUE WHERE HE
WANTS THEM.
AND HE'S NOT GOING TO HE'S
TELLING PEOPLE HE'S NOT GOING TO
STOP.
LIZ: IT DEFINITELY WORKS WITH
HIS BASE AND HE'S SINKING HIS
TEETH INTO IT AND I THINK THAT
WOULD MAKE SENSE.
CHARLIE: AND MOST PEOPLE ALSO
DON'T LIKE DISSING THE NATIONAL
ANTHEM.
LIZ: WELL IT'S SO UNNECESSARY.
THERE ARE MANY OTHER WAYS TO
SORT OF SOME WOULD SAY FOR YOU
TO PROTEST AND WHAT MANY OF
THESE PEOPLE FEEL IS A VERY
LEGITIMATE ISSUE.
CHARLIE: AND THAT SAID, I DON'T,
PERSONALLY I DON'T HAVE A
PROBLEM WITH IT BECAUSE I DON'T
THINK THEY'RE DOING ANYTHING
THAT OVERTLY AND NOT GIVING THE
MIDDLE FINGER, THEY'RE KNEELING.
LIZ: SOME PEOPLE PERCEIVE IT TO
BE.
CHARLIE: IT'S A KNEEL.
IT'S NOT --
LIZ: I GUESS IN THE END, AMERICA
AND QUITE FRANKLY US TOO,
BECAUSE WE'RE TALKING ABOUT IT,
PAYING WAY MORE ATTENTION TO
PEOPLE KNEELING AT FOOTBALL GAME
AND MANY OTHER ISSUES THAT ARE
MORE IMPORTANT TO THIS COUNTRY.
CHARLIE: BUT TRUMP IS GOING TO
USE IT AS A POLITICAL ISSUE, HE
THINKS IT WORKS.
THE NFL KNOWS AND THEIR SPONSORS
PEOPLE LIKE ANHEUSER-BUSCH ARE
FREAKED OUT BECAUSE THEY KNOW IT
COULD HURT THEIR BRAND WHATEVER
HE DOES HE'S GOT A WINNING ISSUE
ON THIS AND I'LL TELL YOU
THURSDAY IS GOING TO BE A GOOD
DAY TO TALK.
I PROBABLY AM GOING TO STAND
OUTSIDE THE MEETING.
IT'S RIGHT DOWN THE BLOCK IN NEW
YORK CITY.
LIZ: I'M SURE THEY'LL BE
THRILLED TO SEE YOU.
HERE, OPEN THE DOOR, CHARLIE.