Future NBA Hall of Famer LeBron James took to Twitter on Thursday to praise and promote the remarks of Texas Democratic Senatorial candidate Beto O’Rourke, whose comments in support of NFL anthem protesters recently went viral.
While speaking at a town hall in Houston, O’Rourke was asked whether he thought the anthem protests were disrespectful members of law enforcement and the military. Not only did O’Rourke say that he didn’t believe the protests were disrespectful, he said that he could think of “nothing more American,” than protesting the national anthem:
On Thursday, James tweeted O’Rourke’s speech and praise for the Senate hopeful’s remarks: “A Must Watch!!! Salute @BetoORourke for the candid thoughtful words!”
O’Rourke’s rival in the Texas Senate race, Senator Ted Cruz, blasted O’Rourke for saying that he could think of “nothing more American” than protesting during the anthem.
“When Beto O’Rourke says he can’t think of anything more American (than players taking a knee), well I got to tell you, I can,” Cruz said in reply to O’Rourke’s approval of the protests.
President Trump has been a frequent critic of the anthem protests, most recently at a speech in West Virginia. Where he paid tribute to the patriotism of the crowd, while contrasting that with the lack of patriotism showed by NFL anthem protesters:
It’s not surprising that James would weigh-in on the anthem debate. The newly minted Laker has frequently clashed with President Trump. Most notably in late July, when James accused Trump of using sports to “try and divide us.”
Follow Dylan Gwinn on Twitter @themightygwinn
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