Donald Trump’s tweet calling LeBron James and Don Lemon dumb and dumber did not go over well in the sports and political world, eliciting strong reactions on social media.
While NBA athletes, entertainers and politicians alike fired off a flurry of responses directed at the president, James’ first tweet following Trump’s diss made no mention of the former reality TV star turned politician. Instead, the new face of the L.A. Lakers retweeted a photo of kids at the I Promise School along with the comment, “Let’s get it kids!! Love you guys.”
READ MORE: Trump lashes out at Lebron James and Don Lemon over CNN interview
Let’s get it kids!! Love you guys https://t.co/kY88geedus
— LeBron James (@KingJames) August 4, 2018
James recently opened a public elementary school in his hometown of Akron, Ohio for at-risk kids. He sat down with CNN’s Don Lemon last Monday to discuss the goals of the program. But when Trump finally caught up with the conversation days later, he engaged in a late-night Twitter rant.
“Lebron James was just interviewed by the dumbest man on television, Don Lemon. He made Lebron look smart, which isn’t easy to do,” Trump tweeted on Friday while watching the rebroadcast of the interview. “I like Mike!” he added, a reference to NBA icon Michael Jordan.
Lemon responded Saturday morning by calling out the Trump’s controversial immigration policies.
“Who’s the real dummy? A man who puts kids in classrooms or one who puts kids in cages?,” he wrote on Twitter.
https://twitter.com/EaterSouls/status/1026118972821970945
CNN noted that Trump’s pattern of attacking well-known African-Americans as having “low IQs” echoes the white nationalist view that blacks are genetically less intelligent than white folks.
Meanwhile, Jordan and first lady Melania Trump have also weighed in on the public conversation, and she’s not here for her husband’s pettiness. Mrs. Trump praised James for his charity work less than a day after Trump attacked him on Twitter.
“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,” spokeswoman Stephanie Grisham said in a statement to CNN. “As you know, Mrs. Trump has traveled the country and world talking to children about their well-being, healthy living, and the importance of responsible online behavior with her Be Best initiative.”
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Jordan is also #TeamLeBron, as he released the following statement through a spokeswoman on Saturday: ”I support LeBron James. He’s doing an amazing job for his community.”
As reported by The Huff Post, James’ elementary school is currently open to third- and fourth-graders and offers students free meals, a free bicycle and helmet and food pantry access for their families. Upon graduation, students are offered free tuition at the University of Akron, James told CNN. He plans for the school to serve first- to eighth-grade students by 2022.