Patriots' Alan Branch Says He Skipped the White House Visit Because of Trump's Sexist 'Grab 'Em by the P****' Remark
Alan Branch was among the several New England Patriots' players who skipped yesterday's visit to President Trump's White House, where the team was honored for its Super Bowl LI win.
As teammates Martellus Bennett and Devin McCourty voiced their displeasure for Trump before him, Branch isn't holding back to expressing why he boycotted the Trump White House visit.
Speaking with Don Lemmon on CNN Tonight yesterday, the Patriots' 32-year-old defensive tackle said he was repulsed by Trump's "grab them by the p****" remarks and couldn't imagine shaking hands with the 45th POTUS.
"It's disgusting the way that he talks about women and I just can't deal with it and that's why I have no interest in going and shaking his hand," Branch said. "I've gotta go back home and look my daughters in the eye, and I don't want them to view me in a different light just because I did that."
After Trump's infamous 2005 hot-mic Access Hollywood comments surfaced — to which he likened to just "locker room talk" — Branch is still baffled by women who voted for him.
"I don't understand still to this day, especially with how many women went out there and voted for him," Branch said. "I'm a man, and I was sickened by that and it still happened. Everybody has their free choice of who they wanted, but that's not a person I want to represent me even though he is. He is president of the United States. He happens to represent me, but I'm not going to go out of my way to go meet the guy when I don't have to."
And Branch was just warming up tackling Trump like he does with opponents on the gridiron.
"I just felt like I had to say something just because I don't want my daughters to see me and be like, 'That's my dad and he doesn't believe in women being treated like this,' because I don't," he continued. "I'm very against it and I'd hate for my son, you know, to see me go to the White House and act like it's OK to do whatever you want if you're a celebrity."
And Branch doesn't mind speaking out against Trump even with Patriots owner Bob Kraft, coach Bill Belichick and quarterback Tom Brady all counting the divisive, controversial president as their friend.
To watch him make his full comments, peep the clip below.
Despite his noted friendship with Trump, Brady, too, skipped out on the White House visit yesterday, citing "recent developments" and "personal family matters" as the reasons for his absence.
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