NEW YORK: US President Donald Trump, who has been chastising football players for not showing respect to the national anthem, was himself caught on the wrong foot this week when television footage suggested he struggled with lyrics of the Star Spangled Banner during a national championship game in Atlanta, Georgia.

Critics on social media rounded on the head of state, saying it looked as though he had forgotten the lyrics of some segments.

The national anthem has become a point of fierce debate after Trump repeatedly criticised players taking part in the National Football League for kneeling down, instead of standing, when the anthem is played before the start of a game to protest discrimination against black Americans.

Hours before the game, Trump again laid into athletes for choosing not to stand.

“There’s plenty of space for people to express their views and to protest, but we love our flag and we love our anthem and we want to keep it that way,” he told an annual gathering in Nashville.

Trump stood on the pitch for the anthem on Monday night and put his hand on his heart as he sang. He cannot be heard in TV footage but appears to falter in the middle sections of the song, before finishing with enthusiasm and grinning at the camera. He got a mixed response as he walked onto the field before the game, both cheers and boos ringing out across the stadium.

Football fans grew restless before the match as they were locked out of the stadium in the rain ahead of Mr Trump’s arrival.

Published in Dawn, January 11th, 2018