While Trump Attacks Colin Kaepernick, The Quarterback Is Donating To Meals On Wheels

On Monday at a rally in Louisville, Kentucky, President Donald Trump took aim at  NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick , who decided last season not to stand for the national anthem in protest of the mistreatment of people of color in the U.S.

“There was an article today … that NFL owners don’t want to pick [Kaepernick] up because they don’t want to get a nasty tweet from Donald Trump ,” Trump said. “Do you believe that?”

He added, “I said, ‘If I remember that one, I’m gonna report it to the people of Kentucky because they like it when people actually stand for the American flag.’”

Kaepernick responded Tuesday not with his mouth, but with his money. NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reported earlier today that the former San Francisco 49ers quarterback was donating $50,000 to Meals on Wheels America, which could face reduced federal funding if Trump’s budget were to be approved. (Worth noting: Meals on Wheels only gets a small percentage of its funding from the Community Development Block Grant and other federal programs that Trump has proposed cutting.)

Additionally, Kaepernick announced through Rapoport that he will donate $50,000 to Love Army for Somalia , a social media campaign to send 60 tons of food and water to Somalia to combat famine .  

The 29-year-old donated the money despite remaining an unrestricted free agent since he opted out of his contract earlier this month . He has said he plans to stand during the national anthem next season should he get signed. 

Meals on Wheels thanked Kaepernick over Twitter on Tuesday for his donation, one of many the organization has received since news of potential budget cuts earned national attention last week.