President Trump made an appearance this past weekend during the Washington Commanders‘ game against the Detroit Lions. As everybody knows by now, the fans at FedEx Field gave him a frosty reception.
The Commander-in-Chief participated in the league’s “Salute to Service” initiative, honoring veterans by reading the names of military enlistees and overseeing a reenlistment ceremony for U.S. Army recruits at halftime.
And fans, for whatever reason, felt it was an appropriate time to denigrate the ceremony and boo Trump.
Former Pittsburgh Steelers offensive lineman and Army Ranger veteran Alejandro Villanueva called the boos “unfortunate.”
“There’s a lot of division in the United States politically, maybe throughout the world as well, regarding who the president is. It is unfortunate,” he told Fox News Digital. “I mean, obviously, I wish we lived in a place where we had a lot more agreement, but it is America.”
Alejandro Villanueva laments partisan divide in football, military
Villanueva continued by lamenting the deep political divisions in America while stressing the need to keep the military apolitical to preserve vital civilian-military relationships.
“You protect the freedoms and the rights of everybody to protest and to express themselves however they want,” he said.
“I hope that we do not create the military into a class where Americans feel that it supports one political party or the other, because I do feel that military-civilian relationships is one of the most special and crucial aspects of our military, and the fact that we’ve been able to be, you know, the power that we are right now.”
Alejandro Villanueva, the son of a Spanish Naval officer, initially struggled to break into the NFL due to his military service. He was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army in 2010 and served as a platoon leader in the 75th Ranger Regiment, where he specialized in combat operations.
He completed three combat tours in Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, during which he earned the Bronze Star Medal with Valor for his courageous actions under fire.
Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin eventually took a chance on him, and the rest, as they say, is history.
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Not the only critic of the fans
Alejandro Villanueva wasn’t the only one to offer a strong response to the fans for booing President Trump during what should have been a solemn occasion.
Former Redskins cheerleader Jillian Anderson, who performed from 2012 to 2014, sharply criticized the “aggressively liberal” crowd for their behavior.
Anderson wasn’t shocked by the fans’ ingratitude, suggesting she can relate more to Lions players who celebrated with a “Trump Dance.”
Alejandro Villanueva played for the Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens after graduating from the United States Military Academy. He was an offensive tackle who started in 107 career NFL games.
Villanueva was a two-time Pro Bowl selection in 2017 and 2018. He also played in 7 career postseason games and actually has a receiving touchdown to his credit.