What did Donald Trump do today?

He jumped in front of the Super Bowl spotlight.

Hours before the kickoff, Trump issued a statement insisting that anyone failing to stand during the National Anthem at the Super Bowl would necessarily be making an anti-military statement.

This is, in effect, the same argument Trump has always made on the subject, but it's been a number of months since he sought attention for it, and sideline protests have not been common in the second half of the NFL season--nor were any planned for tonight's game. That said, the Super Bowl is an almost irresistibly large target for the attention-driven Trump.

Without exception, all NFL players who have knelt during the national anthem have been calling attention to police abuses of African-Americans. It's not clear whether Trump knows this and is lying, or if he simply doesn't know why players had been kneeling.

Why is this a problem?

• It's wrong to lie.

• Presidents who have a problem with peaceful protest have a problem with the United States of America.

• Nobody expects politicians to be shy, but past a certain point, a need for attention becomes pathological.