Trump accuses LeBron James of being ‘racist’ and ‘divisive’
- Former President Trump said LeBron James was "racist" and "divisive."
- It came after the basketball star tweeted a response to the police killing of 16-year-old Ma'Khia Bryant.
- James subsequently deleted the tweet because he said it was "being used to create more hate."
Former President Trump on Thursday said LeBron James was "racist" and "divisive" after the basketball star tweeted a response to the police killing of 16-year-old Ma'Khia Bryant.
"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," Trump said in a statement reported by The Hill.
"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!" he said.
In a now-deleted tweet, James had shared a photo of Nicholas Reardon, the police officer who killed Bryant in Columbus, Ohio, on Tuesday, along with the caption: "you're next #accountability."
Bryant was killed less than half an hour before jurors in Minneapolis found former police officer Derek Chauvin guilty of murdering George Floyd, which sparked nationwide protests about police brutality.
James subsequently deleted the tweet because he said it was "being used to create more hate."
"I'm so damn tired of seeing Black people killed by police," he said.
"I took the tweet down because its [sic] 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."
Police on Tuesday released body-camera footage of the fatal shooting of Bryant, which sparked protests in Columbus.