Donald Trump’s spiritual adviser, pastor Robert Jeffress, said those who kneel during the national anthem in a silent protest against racism should “thank God” they aren’t “shot in the head” as he believes they would be for protesting in some other countries.

Texas preacher Robert Jeffress, made the controversial comments during a Fox & Friends segment this morning. After claiming the widespread protests over the weekend disrespected “our country” and “our leaders,” he attempted to link the controversy to North Korea.

“I think what these players are doing is absolutely wrong,” Jeffress said. “These players ought to be thanking God that they live in a country where they’re not only free to earn millions of dollars every year, but they’re also free from the worry of being shot in the head for taking a knee like they would be if they were in North Korea.”

The pastor also said that he believes these players are “absolutely wrong,” adding that he thinks “tens of millions” of Americans agree with Trump’s comments on national anthem protesters — comments where the president called pro-athletes SOBs and demanded they lose their jobs.

Jeffress added that president Trump is not a racist; “This is not about race, it’s about respect of country.”