US first lady Melania Trump on Saturday backed
LeBron James after her husband, President Donald Trump, made fun of
the basketball star on Twitter.
Responding to a CNN interview in which James accused Trump of using
sports for his political goals, Trump tweeted late Friday that he
"was just interviewed by the dumbest man on television, Don Lemon."
"He made Lebron look smart which isn't easy to do," Trump wrote.
In a statement issued by her spokeswoman and cited by US media, the
first lady said James "is working to do good things on behalf of our
next generation" and that she was willing to visit his school in his
home state of Ohio.
Mrs Trump "encourages everyone to have an open dialogue about issues
facing children today" and she "travelled the country and world
talking to children about ... the importance of responsible online
behaviour with her Be Best [anti-cyberbullying] initiative."
In the Monday interview, the Los Angeles Lakers star said Trump "kind
of uses sports to kind of divide us, and that's something that I
can't relate to."
The three-time NBA champion James was speaking in reference to former
NFL player Colin Kaepernick, who kneeled during the pre-game national
anthem, and basketball player Stephen Curry declining a visit to the
White House.
"I can't sit back and say nothing," said James, whose foundation has
supported a school to support at-risk children in his home town of
Akron, Ohio.