NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — New Jersey Democratic U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez says President Donald Trump’s attack on NBA star LeBron James is part of a larger pattern of racist behavior.
Menendez wrote in a tweet Monday that Trump wouldn’t have questioned James’ intelligence or charity work if he were white. Trump criticized James on Friday after an interview aired with CNN anchor Don Lemon in which he deemed Trump divisive.
Donald Trump’s (left) comment’s come after Maxine Waters called on the public to shame members of the president’s Cabinet. (Images courtesy of GAGE SKIDMORE/FLICKR and Getty Images)
Menendez tweeted out a thread that included references to Trump’s disparaging remarks about Mexican immigrants during his campaign kickoff speech for the Republican presidential nomination and the president’s repeated claim that California Democratic Rep. Maxine Waters, who is black, is “low IQ.”
Menendez has been a vocal opponent of the Trump administration’s immigration policies. The two-term senator is in a tough re-election battle against Republican Bob Hugin.
The White House didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
Here’s a sample of Menendez’s tweets:
“Let’s just say it – if LeBron James was white, President Trump never would have questioned his intelligence or his charity work. How do I know? Let’s check the history…”
“Trump still thinks five young Black men are guilty of a crime DNA evidence has absolved them of. #CentralPark5”
“Trump’s attacks on @MaxineWaters follow a troubling pattern of white supremacists suggesting people of color have lower IQs than whites.”
“He couldn’t believe President Barack Obama could have possibly been accepted at Harvard and Columbia”
“He even suggested Obama release records to prove he was smart enough.”
“And of course, he refused to condemn the KKK or disavow the endorsement of David Duke during the 2016 campaign.”
