San Antonio Express-News (Sunday)
President Trump vs. King James
In a tweet, Donald Trump questions the intelligence of outspoken NBA star LeBron James. But the first lady comes to the king’s defense for his work with students.
BRIDGEWATER, N.J. — Ahead of campaigning in Ohio on Saturday, President Donald Trump unleashed a withering attack on the state’s favorite son, savaging LeBron James in a late-night tweet that derided the intelligence of one of the nation’s most prominent African-American men.
Trump blasted James after seemingly watching an interview the former Cleveland Cavaliers star did earlier in the week with CNN anchor Don Lemon in which he deemed Trump divisive. Although James has long been a Trump critic, calling the president “U bum” in a 2017 tweet, the Friday night tweet was Trump’s first attack on the player, who just opened up a school for underprivileged children in his hometown of Akron.
“Lebron James was just interviewed by the dumbest man on television, Don Lemon,” Trump posted. “He made Lebron look smart, which isn’t easy to do.”
Trump then, unexpectedly, appeared to weigh in on the growing debate over who is the greatest NBA player of all time, James or Michael Jordan, by writing “I like Mike!”
The tweet came hours before Trump traveled to Columbus, Ohio, for a rally north of town in support of the Republican in a special U.S. House election on Tuesday.
Once in Ohio, however, Trump stayed away from the controversy and never mentioned James as he hammered away at Democrats and other favorite targets.
Ohio Gov. Josh Kasich, a Republican who at times criticizes Trump, tweeted: “Rather than criticizing @KingJames, we should be celebrating him for his charity work and efforts to help kids.”
Trump has repeatedly been questioned about his views on race, from deeming many Mexican immigrants “rapists” during his campaign kickoff speech for the Republican presidential nomination to placing blame on “both sides” for the violent clash between white supremacists and counterprotesters in Charlottesville, Virginia, a year ago.
James, who campaigned for Trump’s opponent, Democrat Hillary Clinton, and has not been shy about using his celebrity for social causes, did the interview from the public school he opened for at-risk kids in Akron, called the “I Promise” school. Every student receives free tuition, as well as free food, a uniform and even a free bike.
In the interview, James said he “would never sit across” from Trump, though he would talk to former President Barack Obama. James’ publicist declined to respond to
Trump’s tweet, but early Sat- urday afternoon, James retweeted a post from the “I Promise” school and said, “Let’s get it kids!! Love you guys.”
Lemon responded to the president, invoking both the administration’ s forced-familyseparations policy and first lady Melania Trump’s social media etiquette campaign.
“Who’s the real dummy? A man who puts kids in classrooms or one who puts kids in cages? (hash)BeBest” Lemon tweeted.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request to clarify Trump’s remarks. But even some Trump allies chided the remark.
Melania Trump’s spokeswoman, Stephanie Grisham, quickly distanced the first lady from the criticism of James, saying in a statement Saturday afternoon that it appeared James was “working to do good things on behalf of our next generation” and that the first lady would be open to visiting his new school for at-risk children. The statement didn’t criticize the president.
Before entering politics, Trump frequently praised James and his own family tried to recruit him to the New York Knicks in 2010. But commenting on someone’s intelligence, including his own, has long been a Trump trope. He has been criticized for complimenting North Korean leader Kim Jong Un ("smart cookie”) and Russian President Vladimir Putin ("very smart”) and has been known to praise himself as “a very stable genius.”
But he also uses “stupid” — or variations thereof — as a favored insult. He has used it to describe the FBI, the NFL, Democrats, the filibuster, the nation’s immigration laws, journalists, trade policies and how the nation’s leaders have dealt with topics like Iraq, Muslims, Canada and China.