Melania’s ‘king’
Backs LeBron in verbal war with Donald
The First Lady is a fan of King James.
Melania Trump appeared to break sharply from her husband on Saturday, voicing support for LeBron James hours after the President berated the NBA superstar.
A spokeswoman for the First Lady praised James — an outspoken critic of President Trump — for his work with children, adding that Ms. Trump is open to visiting the school for underprivileged kids he founded in his hometown of Akron, Ohio.
“It looks like LeBron James is working to do good things on behalf of our next generation and just as she always has, the First Lady encourages everyone to have an open dialogue about issues facing children today,” the First Lady's spokeswoman, Stephanie Grisham, said in a statement.
Grisham noted that the First Lady's “Be Best” initiative deals with encouraging children to conduct themselves in an honorable manner and the "importance of responsible online behavior."
“Her platform centers around visiting organizations, hospitals and schools, and she would be open to visiting the I Promise School in Akron,” she added.
James' I Promise school for at-risk kids offers free tuition, free food, a uniform and even a free bike and other forms of transportation.
The kind words from the President's better half came hours after the commanderin-chief unleashed a Twitter tirade against the newly minted Los Angeles Lakers forward.
Trump tweeted late Friday that James was interviewed “by the dumbest man on television," CNN anchor Don Lemon, but that he "made Lebron (sic) look smart, which isn't easy to do."
The President — whose own short-lived attempt at running a school ended with a $25 million settlement after a fraud lawsuit — ended by saying "I like Mike!"
The comment seemed to be an endorsement of Michael Jordan in the debate over whether he or James is the greatest NBA player of all time.
Jordan issued his own statement through his spokesperson to The Associated Press.
It said: "I support LeBron James. He's doing an amazing job for his community."