Trump wants to change tax law to punish the NFL

President Donald Trump continues to fan the flames of his culture war, this morning tweeting again about NFL players who kneel during the national anthem and calling for an end to “tax breaks” for the football league:

The league office of the NFL previously was tax-exempt because of its nonprofit status, but that hasn’t been the case since 2015, when NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell announced a change to the status, which he called a “distraction.” Individual teams do get big tax breaks from state and local governments when it comes to building or renovating stadiums, usually in the form of tax-free local bonds. Past presidents and members of Congress have tried, unsuccessfully, to limit those subsidies.

The tweet comes as a part of Trump’s crusade against NFL players who kneel during the national anthem to protest violence against African Americans — a subject he’s returned to several times since a rally in Alabama in September.

On Sunday, Vice President Mike Pence walked out of the football game between the Indianapolis Colts and the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday after players took a knee. Trump later tweeted that this stunt was his idea.

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