Former NFL quarterback and social justice activist Colin Kaepernick spoke out against former President Trump ahead of Tuesday’s election during an interview Friday with The Wall Street Journal’s “The Future of Everyone” podcast.

Kaepnerick protested police brutality by taking a knee during the national anthem at San Francisco 49ers games in 2016. Trump won the election that year and in March 2017 took credit for the player’s lack of a contract when Kaepernick was no longer with the to the 49ers and was not signed by another team.

“They (NFL owners) I don’t want to get a nasty tweet from Donald Trump. Do you believe that?” Trump said at a rally in Louisville, Kentucky, March 21, 2017.

Trump took a firmer stance on the subject during an infamous tirade in September of that year at a rally for Republican Senator Luther Strange. At the time, Kaepernick was no longer in the NFL, but other players in the league began to follow suit by kneeling during games.

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Former President Trump, the Republican presidential nominee, speaks at a campaign rally at Macomb Community College on Friday, Nov. 1, 2024, in Warren, Michigan. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)

“You wouldn’t like to see one of these NFL owners, when somebody respects our flag, say, ‘Get that boy off the field right now.’ Outside! He was fired. He was fired!” Trump said.

Trump then reiterated his position less than a week later during an interview with “FOX & Friends” co-host Pete Hegseth.

“The NFL cannot disrespect our country. It cannot disrespect our flag or our national anthem,” Trump said.

Kaepernick reflected on Friday’s incident during the interview, saying it’s “easier for him to process” now than it was seven years ago.

“I think one of the key things that’s important to think about at that time is what it actually means for a sitting president at that time to be willing to target an individual citizen and use the power of his office, the power their influence, to be able to try to minimize an individual and his aspirations. So thinking about that moment, I also think it really plays a major role in where we are today and the future that we decide to build together. Kaepernick said.

COLIN KAEPERNICK SAYS MAKING SURE HE’S ‘KNOWN’ FROM NFL IS WHY HE’S NOT IN IT

Colin Kaepernick takes part in an exhibition throw during halftime of Michigan’s spring football game at Michigan Stadium, April 2, 2022, in Ann Arbor, Michigan. (Jaime Crawford/Getty Images)

The former quarterback went into detail about how he saw the George Floyd riots of 2020.

“I think the fundamental part is, could people live a better life, and should people be able to live without the threat of death? Also, should people be discriminated against because of the color of their skin or because of their religion or because of where they live or because of their socioeconomic status?” Kaepernick said.

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Colin Kaepernick interacts with fans during Michigan’s spring football game at Michigan Stadium April 2, 2022 in Ann Arbor, Michigan. (Jaime Crawford/Getty Images)

Kaepernick hasn’t played in the NFL since the 49ers released him after the 2016 season. Several coaches have advocated for Kaepernick to join a team and had practices with teams in 2019, but no team signed him.

Kaepernick also settled a 2019 complaint against the NFL that alleged team owners colluded to keep him out of the league.

In the summer of 2020, Trump advocated for teams to sign Kaepernick several times, but with the caveat of only doing so if the former quarterback “has the ability.”

During Friday’s interview, Kaepernick said he follows a schedule where he, 36, wakes up at 3:30 a.m. every day so he can keep his NFL workouts in case a team wants to- sign it. Kaepernick says he does all of this while working as CEO of tech startup Lumi Story AI.

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