Donald Trump Is Mad LeBron James Won’t Audition For His Patriotic Puppet Show

The president of people who don’t wash their legs apparently has his phone set to ignore bedtime because he’s posting messages on social media that may or may not have been approved by his Russian handler, Stephen Miller.

“While listening to our National Anthem, LeBron James disrespects our Country,” Trump said in a Truth Social post accompanied by a video showing James moving his body during the singing of the anthem. “LeBron James should apologize to all of those Great American Warriors and Heroes who died for the American Flag, and all that our Country stands for!”

As with most things related to Trump, he’s reaching. The clip shows James standing in a line with his Philadelphia 76ers teammates, swinging his arms in a warm-up style and making basketball shooting motions. You know, the kind of thing basketball players do. Because they play basketball.

Most players don’t sing along with the national anthem. First, because patriotism isn’t measured by whether you know the words to a song. And secondly, not that anybody asked, but the national anthem — aka the “Star-Spangled Banner” — has some racist AF history.

I don’t know if the entire song is fully racist, but there’s a third verse that people conveniently leave out that talks about enslaved people in a way that doesn’t exactly scream freedom and liberty. It’s like Waka Flocka’s verse on “No Hands” that nobody sings along to. We know it’s there. We just keep it moving.

But here we are, with a president who uses the Constitution to line Melania’s cage (don’t make that face; you know she’s a bird), appointing himself the national anthem police.

Trump has made a habit of targeting Black athletes and anyone who dares question his version of presidenting. Remember former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick, whose kneeling protest during the national anthem became a flashpoint amid the Black Lives Matter movement? Trump sure does. He turned opposition to the protest into a political rallying cry.

In 2018, Trump went so far as to cancel a planned White House visit by the Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles after a dispute over his demands that players stand for the anthem.

And then there’s James, who was among the most outspoken athletes during the 2020 racial justice protests. He’s also used his considerable platform to support progressive causes and candidates while speaking out against hate — shorthand, at this point, for the Trump administration.

So, no, LeBron moving his arms during the national anthem isn’t a national crisis. But a president who thinks every public gesture must be a loyalty test? That’s a whole different ballgame.

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