In rebuke, president mocks intelligence of LeBron
midnight, the president tweeted: “Lebron James was just interviewed by the dumbest man on television, Don Lemon. He made Lebron look smart, which isn’t easy to do. I like Mike!”
“Mike” was an apparent reference to NBA great Michael Jordan, who usually steers clear of politics and social issues.
Through a spokesperson Saturday, Jordan told NBC News he supports James.
“He’s doing an amazing job for his community,” Jordan said.
Trump has a history of questioning the intelligence of high-profile AfricanAmericans, particularly athletes such as James and politicians, including President Barack Obama and U.S. Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif. James
James — at least for now — appeared to ignore Trump’s latest insult, hurled at him as Akron celebrated the opening last week of the I Promise School, a partnership between the LeBron James Family Foundation and Akron Public Schools.
The school initially aims to help third- and fourthgraders who have fallen behind their peers and provide support to the families. It ultimately plans to include more grades. Graduates move on to get a college degree at no cost at the University of Akron.
Just after noon Saturday — about 12 hours after Trump insinuated that James and Lemon were stupid — James retweeted pictures of smiling students from the I Promise School in Akron’s West Hill neighborhood.
“Let’s get it kids!!” James tweeted. “Love you guys.”
No mention of Trump. No mention of race or politics. No hint of being outraged, frustrated or even annoyed like thousands of his famous and not-so-famous fans who spent Saturday venting online.
All of it started Friday night when CNN rebroadcast Don Lemon’s wide-ranging interview with James last week at the I Promise School. During the sit-down discussion, Lemon asked the star about his political awakening.
James said it began when he thought of his own children in the wake of the 2012 death of Trayvon Martin, an unarmed 17-year-old African-American who was shot to death in Florida by a neighborhood watch volunteer.
“What I’ve noticed over the past few months [is Trump] using sports to kinda divide us, and that’s something that I can’t relate to. Sports has never been something that divides people. It’s always been something that brings someone together,” James said.
“Kind of?” Lemon asked with a laugh.
“He is,” James said. “He’s dividing us.”
This was not the first time James has been critical of Trump. When Trump rescinded an invitation for the Golden State Warriors to visit the White House after they beat the Cavaliers for the championship, James stood by his rivals and called the president a “bum.”
On Saturday, Golden State’s Steph Curry — also born in Akron, but a rival of James on the court — returned the favor, tweeting out his own support of James, saying “Keep doing you @ KingJames!” with the emoji of a flexed bicep muscle.
Lemon chipped in with his own defense of James on Twitter: “Who’s the real dummy? A man who puts kids in classrooms or one who puts kids in cages? #BeBest.”