Basketball star LeBron James took his regular criticism of President Trump to a new level this week by saying he would “never” sit across from the man.
One of the NBA’s greatest players stopped in for a “CNN Tonight” interview Monday to frame Mr. Trump as an irredeemable figure who should be shunned at all costs, telling host Don Lemon that he would never sit down with the commander in chief to try and find common ground.
“I would never sit across from him. I’ve sit across from Barack [Obama] though,” James said when asked about creating a dialogue with Mr. Trump.
The former Cleveland Cavaliers star, who recently signed with the Los Angeles Lakers in a $154 million contract, said Mr. Trump has used sports to “divide” the population.
“What I’ve noticed over the past few months is that [Mr. Trump] kind of used sports to kind of divide us, and that’s something I can’t relate to,” he said, a reference to the president’s objection to professional athletes kneeling to protest the national anthem.
James, 33, also claimed that Mr. Trump’s administration has emboldened racists.
“The president in charge now has given people — they don’t care now. [Racists] throw it in your face now,” the athlete said.
• Douglas Ernst can be reached at dernst@washingtontimes.com.
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