Protesting him...

Trump backs protesters — as long as they’re not protesting him

By MATTHEW NUSSBAUM

President Donald Trump has repeatedly voiced support for anti-government protests in Iran in recent days, joining a bipartisan and international chorus in support of the peaceful demonstrators.

“Big protests in Iran,” Trump tweeted on New Year’s Eve. “The people are finally getting wise as to how their money and wealth is being stolen and squandered on terrorism. Looks like they will not take it any longer. The USA is watching very closely for human rights violations!”

“Iran, the Number One State of Sponsored Terror with numerous violations of Human Rights occurring on an hourly basis, has now closed down the Internet so that peaceful demonstrators cannot communicate. Not good!” he added later.

He returned to the theme on Monday: “Iran is failing at every level despite the terrible deal made with them by the Obama Administration. The great Iranian people have been repressed for many years. They are hungry for food & for freedom. Along with human rights, the wealth of Iran is being looted. TIME FOR CHANGE!”

Trump’s support for the Iranian demonstrators stands in stark contrast to his frequent criticism of Americans who protest his own government in the United States. He frequently called for violence against protesters at his campaign rallies, where protesters were routinely roughed up by crowds, and has mocked those who marched in the wake of his election and inauguration. And he spent weeks this fall calling for NFL players who protested police brutality during the national anthem to be fined or fired.

“Watched protests yesterday but was under the impression that we just had an election! Why didn't these people vote?” Trump tweeted on Jan. 22, the day after millions of Americans demonstrated against him as part of the nationwide Women’s March.

That sentiment was similar to Trump’s anger after the election, when demonstrators gathered in American cities to voice their opposition to the incoming administration.

“Just had a very open and successful presidential election. Now professional protesters, incited by the media, are protesting. Very unfair!” he wrote on Twitter on Nov. 10.

And Trump has repeatedly attacked NFL players who kneel during the national anthem to protest police brutality.

“If NFL fans refuse to go to games until players stop disrespecting our Flag & Country, you will see change take place fast,” Trump wrote in one of many posts on the topic. “Fire or suspend!”

Even less overt forms of protest, when aimed at him, have gotten under Trump’s skin. When Golden State Warriors’ star Stephen Curry voiced wariness of attending a White House celebration, for example, Trump withdrew the invitation.

At campaign rallies, Trump would regularly berate protesters, and he once even offered to pay the legal fees for a supporter who punched a protester.

The White House, however, saw no contradiction in Trump’s positions.

“Only Politico would strain credulity to find a negative in the President standing with peaceful protesters in Iran, in contrast to the actions of the previous administration,” White House spokesperson Raj Shah said in an emailed statement. “Most Americans would agree that standing in support of the American flag or against disruption at a rally, doesn’t undermine the important constitutional right of freedom of expression, and is entirely consistent with supporting the Iranian people seeking basic human rights.”

For the protesters in Iran, the administration’s posture is one of unrestrained support.

“As long as @RealDonaldTrump is POTUS and I am VP, the United States of America will not repeat the shameful mistake of our past when others stood by and ignored the heroic resistance of the Iranian people as they fought against their brutal regime,” Vice President Mike Pence wrote Monday on Twitter. “The bold and growing resistance of the Iranian people today gives hope and faith to all who struggle for freedom and against tyranny. We must not and we will not let them down.”

Pence famously left an Indianapolis Colts game in 2017 when players on the opposing team kneeled during the anthem. He had previously responded to hecklers at rallies by telling the crowd, “This is what freedom looks like and this is what freedom sounds like.”

He dropped the line soon after Trump named him as his running mate.