'Always stay true to yourself': POTUS congratulates and offers pearl of wisdom to Nick Bosa after 49ers top draft pick (and self-confessed Trump fan) gave press conference apologizing for calling Kaepernick 'a clown' (22 Pics)
Donald Trump has congratulated number two draft pick Nick Bosa while urging him to 'always stay true to yourself' after the rising star apologized for calling NFL kneeler Colin Kaepernick a 'clown'.
The 21-year-old Ohio State pass rusher was the 49ers' second overall pick during the 2019 NFL Draft on Thursday. He has shown support for the president in the past and has a history of tweeting negative statements about black pop culture icons and entertainment properties.
On Friday he apologized for called former 49ers quarterback Kaepernick a 'clown'.
He said: 'It was a specific thing that happened and me as a young kid, [with a] thought popping into my head and, boom, just decided to tweet it out. Bad decision. I respect what he's done.
'If it empowers anybody, then he's doing a good thing. I apologize for that.'
He added: 'I definitely made some insensitive decisions throughout my life, and I'm just excited to be here with a clean slate.
'Sorry if I hurt anybody. I definitely didn't intend for that to be the case.'
But Trump tweeted Saturday morning: 'Congratulations to Nick Bosa on being picked number two in the NFL Draft. You will be a great player for years to come, maybe one of the best. Big Talent!
'San Francisco will embrace you but most importantly, always stay true to yourself. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!'
Some 49ers fans reacted with fury on Friday over the San Francisco team's decision to draft Bosa, and his posts were recently scrubbed from his online presence as his draft prospects looked up.
Trump will tonight shun the annual White House Correspondents Dinner for the third year in a row and instead attend a campaign rally.
'The dinner is so boring and so negative that we're going to hold a very positive rally instead,' he said earlier this month. Trump also told members of his administration not to attend.
The president will be in Green Bay, Wisconsin, for his 18th rally overall in the state since announcing his first presidential bid in June 2015.
His win there in 2016 was the first time a Republican presidential candidate won the state since the mid-1980s.
Michael Glassner, the chief operating officer of Trump's re-election campaign, said: 'President Trump looks forward to sharing the successes of his administration with the great people of Wisconsin.
'Under President Trump's leadership, paychecks are now growing twice as fast for those in the bottom half of the income spectrum. Unemployment has hit generational lows, and the U.S.-Mexico-Canada trade agreement will open Canadian dairy markets to farmers all across Wisconsin.'
It's Trump's first campaign rally since the release of the Mueller report and an early look at his 2020 re-election strategy.
Bosa had tweeted a variety of negative comments about black pop culture icons and also tweeted a variety of pro-Trump statements and 'liked' posts by supposed white supremacists
Among Bosa's deleted tweets were statements in which he called activist and former 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick a 'clown,' wrote NBA star Dwyane Wade 'looks like a parrot fish' and noted that Black Panther was the 'worst Marvel movie.'
He also tweeted that 'Beyonce's music is complete trash' in 2016, just six days after she released her album Lemonade, featuring the politically-charged song Formation. Earlier in the year, Beyonce had faced criticism for wearing a Black Panther-inspired outfit and performing Formation during the Super Bowl halftime show.
Over the years, Bosa has also made no bones about supporting Trump, tweeting 'Love this man' while retweeting a video of the president's weekly address and posting a photo of himself giving the thumbs up next to a cardboard cutout of Trump.
Bosa, of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, was also quoted as saying that he's a 'big fan' of Trump, adding, 'He brings a charisma that no other candidate has [had] in my lifetime,' according to SF Gate.
In addition to his negative tweets and pro-Trump comments, Bosa apparently 'liked' a variety of tweets and Instagram posts from people who are said to be or have ties to white supremacists, as revealed in a series of tweets by @RzstProgramming.
Bosa's social media history prompted liberal 49ers fans to hit the keyboards with their own hot takes on the draft.
''Nick Bosa' Well I see the @49ers found someone to stand for the flag, that's a #racist,' tweeted @blkdogstar59.
'From Colin Kaepernick to Nick Bosa in three years. From a racism resistor to a racist troll. Helluva ride, Niners Nation,' wrote @EdgeofSports.
'my 49ers just drafted a racist Unc. Go read Nick Bosa tweets. They lost me as a fan. They haven't learned their lesson from past picks. #Character,' wrote @KevinWatts0228.
'The San Francisco @49ers just drafted @realDonalTrump supporter Nick Bosa proving the only color that matters in the @NFL is green,' wrote @FeoChin.
'The same team that got rid of #colinkaepernick someone protesting injustice and people like Nick Bosa, drafts him as No. 2,' @_justebetty wrote, adding 'oh wait racists usually don't ever care' and 'Privilege at its finest.'
'Nick Bosa voice cracking because he thinking of having to go outside and see diversity and liberalism everyday,' @tokthadon wrote.
However, some saw the draft pick in a more positive light.
Fox News commentator Tomi Lahren tweeted: 'Glad to see @49ers will have a true America-loving star in [Nick Bosa] who can not only play extremely well, but will also STAND for his country and all those who have fought to protect and defend it!'
Kaepernick refused to stand for the national anthem to protest police brutality toward black men. It was not a protest against the military, as Lahren suggests.
