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Kaepernick rips Trump, Clinton after debate: 'Both are proven liars'

Jake Roth / USA TODAY Sports

Like many others, Colin Kaepernick wasn't impressed with what he saw Monday night.

The San Francisco 49ers quarterback, who's taken a stand for civil rights by kneeling during the national anthem, had some strong words for both Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton after the first presidential debate for the upcoming election.

"Both are proven liars, and it almost seems like they're trying to debate who's less racist," Kaepernick said Tuesday, according to Matt Barrows of The Sacramento Bee. "At this point - talking to one of my friends - you have to pick the lesser of two evils. But in the end, it's still evil."

Trump was one of the many public figures to criticize Kaepernick after he began his pregame demonstrations, suggesting that the 49ers quarterback "should find a country that works better for him."

Kaepernick responded Tuesday with a correction to the central premise of Trump's campaign.

"It's a very ignorant statement that if you don't agree with what's going on here and that if you want justice and liberty and freedom for all you should leave the country," Kaepernick said. "He always says, 'Make America great again.' Well, America has never been great for people of color. That's something that needs to be addressed.

"Let's make America great for the first time."

Kaepernick has said that he'll continue the protest until there's change, and a number of fellow NFL players have followed suit in recent weeks either by kneeling, raising a fist, or linking arms with one another in solidarity.

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