President Donald Trump took to Twitter to criticize newly signed Laker LeBron James and the man who interviewed him on CNN, Don Lemon.
The interview aired on CNN on Monday night, but Trump’s criticism did not come until Friday night. In the interview James and Lemon covered an array of topics, including Trump’s presidency.
James explained why he called Trump a “bum” on his Twitter account.
“(Trump) kinda used sports to kinda divide us,” James told Lemon. “And that’s something that I can’t relate to because I know that sports was the first time I was around someone white.”
James referenced Trump’s reactions to NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick’s kneeling protest during the national anthem and fellow NBA player Stephen Curry’s decision to skip the White House visit after his Golden State Warriors won the NBA championship as instances of when Trump has twisted peaceful protests.
“I can’t sit back and say nothing,” James said in his CNN interview.
When asked what he would say to Trump if they were to sit face-to-face, James said, “I would never sit across from him.”
Lemon pressed James about a possibility of running for a political office after his NBA career. James carefully dodged the question, but when asked what he would say if someone told him, “If you don’t run, Trump’s going to win,” James responded with, “Well, in that case, I may [run],” James said. “I believe there’s someone else out there. I hope.”
On a separate airing of “CNN Tonight,” Lemon said that Trump’s presidency “can be defined by lies.”
James is coming off an eventful week where he opened up a school in his hometown of Akron, Ohio.
This is not the first time James has been thrust into the political limelight for speaking out against Trump. Fox News anchor Laura Ingraham told James to “shut up and dribble,” which led to James writing “I am more than an athlete” on his basketball shoes before an NBA game.
James and Lemon have yet to respond to Trump’s tweet.
