President Trump suggested that the N.B.A. star LeBron James was racist on Friday, the latest in a string of disparaging remarks by the president about Black athletes who have criticized him.
Mr. Trump was taking questions in the Oval Office when he was asked to weigh in on the debate over who was the better player: Mr. James, the 41-year-old All Star who just announced he would sign with the Philadelphia 76ers, or the NBA legend Michael Jordan.
“LeBron is, maybe he’s a racist,” Mr. Trump said. “Maybe he doesn’t like Trump, I don’t know. But I only like people who like me, so I would say Michael Jordan all the way.”
The White House declined to elaborate on Mr. Trump’s comments. A representative for Mr. James declined to comment.
Mr. Trump has never been one to tolerate criticism, and during his second term he has promoted the belief that white people in America — and across the globe — have become the real victims of discrimination.
He has lashed out in the past at Mr. James, who endorsed Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential race and has been critical of Mr. Trump.
When San Francisco’s Golden State Warriors decided not to make the customary visit to the White House after winning the N.B.A. championship in 2017, Mr. Trump responded by accusing the N.B.A. star Stephen Curry of “hesitating” and withdrawing the team’s invitation.
Mr. James came to Mr. Curry’s defense and called Mr. Trump a “bum.”
During an interview with CNN in 2018, Mr. James elaborated on his views of Mr. Trump.
“We’re in a position right now in America, more importantly, where this race thing has taken over because I believe our president is kind of trying to divide us,” Mr. James said, adding, “He’s dividing us, and what I’ve noticed over the last few months is that he’s kind of used sports to kind of divide us.”
Mr. Trump responded by attacking Mr. James’s intelligence.
Mr. Trump has tried to use sports as a backdrop to his presidency during his second term. He attended the trophy ceremony of the World Cup last week, as well as the Super Bowl, the Daytona 500, the U.S. Open men’s final and a Yankees game. He also showed up at Madison Square Garden for the NBA Finals this year, where he was met with a chorus of boos.
He has also leaned on the presence of Black athletes — those who support him — to show appreciation to the Black community from the White House. Last year, Mr. Trump celebrated Black History Month by appearing at a reception at the White House with Tiger Woods.
But he has also demeaned those who disagree with him. During his first term, Mr. Trump said N.F.L. team owners should kick off the field players who took a knee for the national anthem — who were largely Black Americans protesting police brutality and racism. “Get that son of a bitch off the field right now, he’s fired,” he suggested at the time.
On Friday, Mr. Trump asserted that he had a good relationship with Mr. Jordan, who for the most part did not weigh in publicly on racial or political debates in America in his career.
“Michael Jordan’s a guy that’s a friend of mine — play golf with him,” Mr. Trump said. “He’s a really good guy.”
