Trump lashed out at LeBron James and Don Lemon. Social media called it racist.
LeBron James is one of the greatest pro basketball players in history. He's also using his tremendous success and wealth to help at-risk children in his hometown. And yet, in Donald Trump's eyes, he's "dumb."
Trump resorted to childish name-calling in a Friday evening tweet in which he slammed the intelligence of both James and CNN anchor Don Lemon. The attack was responding to an interview in which James had some mildly critical things to say about the thin-skinned U.S. president.
"What I've noticed over the past few months [is] he's kinda used sports to kinda divide us, and that's something that I can't relate to," James said during the interview. "I can't sit back and say nothing."
Asked later what he'd say if he ever found himself face-to-face with Trump, he replied: "I would never sit across from him."
Most of the interview focused on other matters, particularly James's efforts in Ohio to create an elementary school with an eye toward helping kids get their lives on track. You know, actual humanitarian work.
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That's not what the U.S. president saw, of course. He just picked up on the fact that someone -- a successful black man, no less -- dared to criticize his demonstrably true practice of using professional sports to divide Americans.
And so, a miffed Trump fired back.
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(The "I like Mike!" comment is meant as a knock on James, who is often mentioned in the same breath as Michael Jordan as the NBA's greatest of all time. That one probably didn't land as intended. James has historically shown great reverence toward Jordan.)
There's nothing substantive about Trump's tweet. Not one word or follow-up that takes issue with anything either man has actually said. It's just a pointless, aimless ad hominem attack and, as many pointed out on social media, a thinly veiled racist remark.
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And of course, no cycle of Trump shade is complete without Pete Souza, the former White House photographer for President Barack Obama, weighing in with a deep cut from his archives.
There was also this exceedingly spicy take from CNN PR.
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Not to be outdone, First Lady Melania Trump praised James and his work to help the children in a statement, even going so far as saying she "would be open to visiting the I Promise School in Akron."
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UPDATED Aug. 4, 2018, 7:20 p.m. ET with Melania Trump's statement.
Topics Donald Trump Politics
Adam Rosenberg is a Senior Games Reporter for Mashable, where he plays all the games. Every single one. From AAA blockbusters to indie darlings to mobile favorites and browser-based oddities, he consumes as much as he can, whenever he can.Adam brings more than a decade of experience working in the space to the Mashable Games team. He previously headed up all games coverage at Digital Trends, and prior to that was a long-time, full-time freelancer, writing for a diverse lineup of outlets that includes Rolling Stone, MTV, G4, Joystiq, IGN, Official Xbox Magazine, EGM, 1UP, UGO and others.Born and raised in the beautiful suburbs of New York, Adam has spent his life in and around the city. He's a New York University graduate with a double major in Journalism and Cinema Studios. He's also a certified audio engineer. Currently, Adam resides in Crown Heights with his dog and his partner's two cats. He's a lover of fine food, adorable animals, video games, all things geeky and shiny gadgets.
