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Trump slams LeBron James' tweet on Ma'Khia Bryant as 'racist and divisive', Internet tells him 'focus on golf'

Trump released a statement slamming the basketball legend and Twitter had a field day as they pointed out the irony of the former POTUS calling someone else 'divisive'

Former president Donald Trump released a statement on April 22, slamming basketball legend LeBron James. The statement attacks James' infamous and now-deleted "You're next" tweet. James posted the tweet earlier on April 22 along with an image of Columbus police officer Nicholas Reardon who fatally shot 16-year-old Ma'Khia Bryant. 

In the statement, Trump says, "LeBron James should focus on basketball rather than presiding over the destruction of the NBA, which has just recorded the lowest television RATINGS, by far, in the long and distinguished history of the league." He then goes on to attack James as racist and divisive. "His RACIST rants are divisive, nasty, insulting, and demeaning. He may be a great basketball player, but he is doing nothing to bring our Country together," Trump added.

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Newsmax reporter Benny Johnson was one of the first to share Trump's latest statement. You can see it for yourself here.

While James later deleted the tweet after backlash, he followed it up with another one explaining his reasoning. He said, "I’m so damn tired of seeing Black people killed by police. I took the tweet down because its being used to create more hate -This isn’t about one officer. it’s about the entire system and they always use our words to create more racism. I am so desperate for more ACCOUNTABILITY."

Despite that, James was at the receiving end of a lot of criticism. The latest to join the bandwagon is Trump, whose statement has become the latest meme on social media. The controversy erupted after Reardon's shooting, which took place just hours before Derek Chauvin's verdict was announced. This isn't the first time James and Trump have sparred over James' political activism. In the past, Trump has taken plenty of swipes at the basketball star. In a 2020 interview with Rush Limbaugh, Trump called James "a spokesman for the Democratic party and a very nasty spokesman". 

'Everything is a d**k measuring contest'

Since the statement was posted by Johnson and other reporters, it has led to strong outrage. One user said, "Trump’s statement about LeBron James is a master class in projection." Another user posted, "'"LeBron James should focus on basketball rather than presiding over the destruction of the NBA, which has just recorded the lowest television RATINGS, by far"- Typical Trump...always bringing up ratings and popularity. Everything really is a dick measuring contest to him." Another tweeted, "Trump criticizing LEBRON JAMES for “racist” rants and dividing the country is hilarious. Didn’t know it was racist to call out police officers who wrongly kill black people."

The New York Times journalist Kenneth Vogel said, "TRUMP, who has a lot of experience driving the country apart, accuses LeBRON JAMES of “doing nothing to bring our Country together.”" Another person tweeted, "Did Donald Trump just called LeBron James racist? Let me tell you something former president NONE GIVES A FLYING FUCK ON WHAT YOUVE TO SAY ABOUT RACISM." One person commented, "First off, why did y’all post this? Second Trump calling some racist is rich Third he can go to hell."

One user rewrote Trump's statement and tweeted, "Trump should focus on golf and reality tv rather than presiding over the destruction of the USA which recorded the highest unemployment numbers in history. His RACIST rants are nasty and divisive. He may be a reality tv star but he is doing nothing to bring the country together."

At the time of writing this article, James was yet to respond to the statement. He could also choose to ignore it, as many of Trump's targets have done in the past. Since losing access to Twitter, Trump has resorted to making short statements via his office and emailing them to the press. The tweet-style statements have more often than not been mocked.