President Donald Trump suggested that basketball superstar LeBron James might be “a racist,” telling reporters Friday that “I only like people that like me.”
Trump was asked about James’ decision to sign with the Philadelphia 76ers and whether he thought James was a better player than NBA legend Michael Jordan.
“Well, Michael Jordan’s a guy that’s a friend of mine,” Trump said. “I think LeBron is, maybe he’s a racist, but maybe he doesn’t like Trump. I don’t know, but I only like people that like me, so I would say Michael Jordan all the way.”
The remarks represented the latest salvo in a long-running war of words between the president and James, who earlier on Friday announced he would return for a record 24th year in the NBA rather than retire.
James endorsed Hillary Clinton in her 2016 run against Trump, writing at the time that “we need a president who brings us together and keeps us unified.” After Trump won that election, the two clashed more directly over the president’s decision to rescind a White House invite to the Golden State Warriors following their championship win.
