>>> WELCOME BACK. THE FIRST LADY IS AGAIN BREAKING
WITH HER HUSBAND.
THIS TIME DEFENDING LeBRON JAMES
WHO THE PRESIDENT INSULTED ON
TWITTER.
TWITTER. ON FRIDAY TRUMP TWEETED LeBRON
JAMES WAS JUST INTERVIEWED BY
THE DUMBEST MAN ON TELEVISION,
DON LEMON.
DON LEMON. HE MADE LeBRON LOOK SMART WHICH
ISN’T EASY TO DO.
I LIKE MIKE.
TRUMP WAS REFERRING TO A CNN
INTERVIEW IN WHICH JAMES
CRITICIZED THE PRESIDENT AS
BEING DIVISIVE.
BEING DIVISIVE. >> WHAT I NOTICED OVER THE LAST
FEW MONTHS, THAT HE’S KIND OF
USED SPORT TO KIND OF DIVIDE US,
AND THAT’S SOMETHING THAT CAN’T
RELATE TO.
RELATE TO. I KNOW THAT SPORT WAS THE FIRST
TIME I EVER WAS AROUND SOMEONE
WHITE.
WHITE. YOU KNOW?
YOU KNOW? AND I GOT AN OPPORTUNITY TO SEE
THEM AND LEARN ABOUT THEM.
>> WHAT WOULD YOU SEE TO THE
PRESIDENT IF HE WAS IS THING
RIGHT HERE?
RIGHT HERE? >> I WOULD NEVER SIT ACROSS IF
HIM.
HIM. >> BE T INTERVIEW WAS PART OF
JAMES’ EFFORT TO PROMOTE HIS NEW
SCHOOL HE OPENED FOR AT RISK
STUDENTS.
STUDENTS. HE DID NOT RESPOND TO THE
ATTACK.
ATTACK. BUT THE FIRST LADY DID.
HER SPOKESPERSON SAYING, KWOEK,
IT LOOKS LeBRON JAMES IS WORKING
TO DO GOOD THINGS ON BEHALF OF
OUR NEXT GENERATION.
ADDING SHE WOULD BE OPEN TO
VISITING THE I PROMISE SCHOOL IN
AKRON.
AKRON. I NEED TO GO THROUGH THIS.
JOINING ME JONATHAN CAPEHEART,
AND CARE RAA SWISHER.
JONATHAN, WHY WOULD PRESIDENT
TRUMP ATTACK NOT JUST A WILDLY
POPULAR ATHLETE LeBRON JAMES BUT
SPECIFICALLY ON THIS PEEK WHEN
HE HAS SPENT MILLIONS AND
MILLIONS OF DOLLARS TO HELP
UNDERPRIVILEGED KIDS IN THE
STATE OF OHIO?
YOU MIGHT NOT EVEN LeBRON JAMES,
BUT YOU’RE GOING TO BACK HIM
AFTER SOMETHING LIKE THIS.
>> YEAH.
>> YEAH. I THINK PRESIDENT TRUMP IS ALL
ABOUT DISTRACTION.
ABOUT DISTRACTION. SO BY GOING AFTER ONE OF THE
MOST POPULAR ATHLETES IN THE
COUNTRY, THAT’S PART OF IT.
THE OTHER PART OF IT IS THAT HE
SORT OF, I GUESS, HATE WATCHES
DON LEMON AND HE HAS ATTACKED
DON LEMON IN THE PAST.
THAT’S PART OF IT.
THE OTHER PART AND MORE
PERNICIOUS PART IS THAT HE CAN’T
STAND THE FACT THAT THERE IS AN
AFRICAN AMERICAN WHO IS PROBABLY
AS FAMOUS IF NOT MORE FAMOUS,
MORE HIGHLY REGARDED THAN HE IS
DOING SOMETHING THAT IS ACTUALLY
REAL AND PERTINENT IN THE LIVES
OF HIS COMMUNITY.
THERE IS NO DENYING THAT WHAT
LeBRON JAMES DID LAST WEEK WAS
EXTRAORDINARY.
EXTRAORDINARY. NOT JUST OPENING A SCHOOL FOR
240 AT RISK YOUTH.
IT’S WHAT THAT SCHOOL -- WHAT
THAT SCHOOL DOES.
FREE TUITION.
FREE TUITION. FREE UNIFORMS.
FREE UNIFORMS. TRANSPORTATION IF YOU LIVE
WITHIN TWO MILES.
JOB PLACEMENT PROGRAMS FOR THE
PARENTS OF THESE CHILDREN.
THIS IS THE SORT OF WHOLISTIC
APPROACH THAT A FUNCTIONING U.S.
GOVERNMENT WOULD BE NURTURING
AND FOSTERING, WOULD BE
CELEBRATING.
CELEBRATING. INSTEAD, WE HAVE THE PRESIDENT
OF THE UNITED STATES TAKING TO
TWITTER RAGE TWEETING AGAINST A
PRIVATE CITIZEN DOING GOOD.
>> BUT THIS IS THE EXACT KIND OF
THING IVANKA TRUMP SHOULD BE ALL
OVER AND LOVING.
RICK, I WANT YOU TO HELP ME.
YOU’RE A REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST
HERE.
HERE. WHEN I READ THE OPINION WRITER,
THE MAN IS WRITING TO HELP AT
RISK CHILDREN BY OPENING DOORS
FOR THEM WAS BEING ATTACKED BY
THE MAN WHO HAS PUT CHILDREN AT
RISK BY LOCKING THEM IN CAGES.
WHEN I READ THAT TWEET, I WAS
STANDING IN LINE AT ACME, AND I
COULD HEAR HIM DROP A MIKE FROM
A THOUSAND MILES AWAY.
HOW IS THIS A GOOD STRATEGY FOR
THE PRESIDENT?
THE PRESIDENT? >> IT’S A TERRIBLE STRATEGY.
LOOK, I THINK JONATHAN IS RIGHT
AN BUILDING ON WHAT HE SAID, I
THINK WHEN LeBRON JAMES SAYS HE
WOULD NOT SIT WITH DONALD TRUMP,
I THINK THAT GOT UNDER HIS SKIN.
HE WAS CLEARLY HATE WATCHING DON
LEMON.
LEMON. LOOK, THE PRESIDENT IS -- WELL,
LET ME START WITH MELANIA AND
IVANKA.
IVANKA. THERE’S A LOT OF PEOPLE AROUND
THE PRESIDENT INCLUDING HIS
FAMILY WHO ARE VERY CONSUMED OR
WANT TO MANAGE THEIR PUBLIC
IMAGE.
IMAGE. AND THE PROBLEM IS -- AND IT’S
REMARKABLE THAT PRESIDENT TRUMP,
THEY HAVE TO ACTUALLY DISTANCE
THEMSELVES AND TRY TO PRESERVE
THEIR OWN REPUTATION BASED ON
WHAT THEIR HUSBAND OR THEIR
FATHER SAYS.
FATHER SAYS. THAT’S JUST REALLY REMARKABLE.
>> EXCEPT IN THIS CASE, MELANIA
TRUMP WASN’T ASKED.
IVANKA ADDRESSES THINGS WHEN SHE
SITS DOWN FOR AN INTERVIEW AND
SHE’S ASKED STRAIGHT ON AND IS
FORCED TO ADDRESS IT.
CARA, YOU TWEETED SO MUCH TO
UNPACK HERE.
UNPACK HERE. FLOTUS TRYING TO MAKE ANOTHER
RUN FOR THE EXIT.
THIS WAS ON A SATURDAY.
THERE WAS NO PRESS BRIEFING.
SHE VOLUNTARILY PUT THIS
STATEMENT OUT.
STATEMENT OUT. LIKE, THIS GUY IS COMING BACK
FROM A ROUND OF GOLF AND HERE’S
YOUR BLT.
YOUR BLT. GUESS WHAT I DID IN THE LAST
HOUR?
HOUR? >> YEAH.
>> YEAH. WELL, IT’S SO HIGHLY
DYSFUNCTIONAL.
DYSFUNCTIONAL. THERE’S TWO THINGS.
I TWEETED AFTER THAT MAYBE IT’S
ALL PART OF A HE GETS TO DO THE
CRAZY STUFF FOR THE BASE, AND
THEN THEY GET TO SAY NO, NO,
SOME OF US DISAGREE AND WE’RE
NORMAL.
NORMAL. I DON’T KNOW WHAT’S GOING ON IN
TERMS OF THE USES OF SOCIAL
MEDIA AND STATEMENTS AND CROSS
STATEMENTS.
STATEMENTS. I THINK JOHN IS RIGHT.
IT’S A DISTRACTION.
AND IT’S SOMEONE WHO EITHER
THEY’RE DOING IT IN A
CALCULATING WAIT OR IT’S SOMEONE
WHO DOESN’T HAVE COME OFCONTROL
THEIR NUMBS.
THEIR NUMBS. IT’S HARD -- THUMBS.
IT’S HARD TO SAY.
A LOT OF PEOPLE AROUND HIM ARE
ALMOST AS BAD AS HE IS IN A LOT
OF WAYS.
OF WAYS. THEY STAY THERE AND CONTINUE TO
SUPPORT THIS MOSTLY, AND AT THE
SAME TIME WANT TO HAVE THE
ABILITY TO SAY WELL, WE DON’T
LIKE THIS PART OF IT OR WE DON’T
LIKE THAT PART OF IT.
IT’S DISTASTEFUL OVERALL FOR THE
GROUP OF THEM TO BE DOING THIS,
I THINK.
I THINK. AND ESPECIALLY WHEN LeBRON JAMES
IS DOING SOMETHING SO WONDERFUL
FOR KIDS.
FOR KIDS. IT’S A CONTRAST, I THINK.
>> THEY SAY THAT, BUT DOES IT
HAVE ANY MEANING? RICK, THERE’S
LOADS OF BUSINESS LEADERS THAT
HAVE SAID, I LIKE HIS POLICIES
BUT WE IGNORE HIS TWEETS.
BUT IF I’M AN NBA OWNER OR
ANOTHER TEAM C THIS PUTS A
HUGE -- THIS PUTS A HUGE AMOUNT
OF STRAIN ON THEM.
THEY MAKE PUBLIC STATEMENTS AND
HAVE TO GET IN THE MIDDLE OF IT.
>> IT PUTS STRAIN ON THEM -- I’M
SORRY.
SORRY. GO AHEAD.
GO AHEAD. >> I THINK THAT’S RIGHT.
LOOK, EVERYBODY WHO COMES INTO
CONTACT WITH PRESIDENT TRUMP
SEEMS TO -- THEY’RE TARNISHED
AND TAINTED WITH THAT IMAGE.
DONALD TRUMP HOLDS OLD VIEWS,
OLD VIEWS ON RACE.
AND I THINK THAT -- AND ON WOMEN
AND THE JOBS OF THE NEWSPAPER.
YOU COMBINE THOSE THINGS AND HIS
BASE REMITS THE LAST GASP OF A
19th CENTURY MIND SET.
WE WANT TO GO INTO THE FUTURE
WITH IDEAS, NEW IDEAS, AND
DONALD TRUMP REPRESENTS THE LAST
GASP FROM THE PAST.
LOOK, I THINK THIS IS THE END OF
THAT.
THAT. AND WE’LL GET THROUGH IT.
BUT IN THE MEANTIME, HE JUST
CONTINUES TO EMBARRASS HIMSELF
AND HIS FAMILY MEMBERS,
APPARENTLY.
APPARENTLY. >> CARA, ACCORDING TO "THE NEW
YORK TIMES" TRUMP HAS INSULTED
SOMEONE VIA TWITTER AT LEAST 487
TIMES.
TIMES. IS THERE A POINT WHERE TWITTER
SAYS THIS IS A VIOLATION OF OUR
ETHICS, WE’RE GOING TO SHUT YOU
DOWN.
DOWN. >> FUNNY YOU SHOULD SAY THAT.
I’M WRITING ABOUT THAT THIS WEEK
IN THE NEXT COLUMN.
I DON’T THINK SO.
I THINK TWITTER LAID OUT THE
POSITION THAT HE’S THE
PRESIDENT, AND WHAT HE SAYS IS
IMPORTANT, AND SO WE’RE GOING TO
PUBLISH IT.
PUBLISH IT. I THINK THERE PROBABLY IS A LINE
TO CROSS, BUT HE HASN’T CROSSED
IT YET FOR TWITTER.
AND IT’S HARD TO SAY WHAT IT
WOULD TAKE TO DO THAT.
AND SO THE QUESTION IS WILL SOME
OF THESE SOCIAL MEDIA COMPANIES
WHICH HAVE A LOT OF POWER START
TO THROTTLE THINGS BACK?
YOU SAW APPLE TODAY PULLING ALEX
JONES OFF OF I-TUNES IN THE
PODCAST.
PODCAST. IT’S A VALUE STEP, LIKE THIS IS
NOT ALLOWED ON OUR PLATFORM.
WE’LL SEE IF THE COMPANIES WILL
CONTINUE TO DO THAT.
EVEN AS THEY HAVE THESE VERY
STRONG FIRST AMENDMENT ARGUMENTS
ON THE OTHER SIDE.
BUT IT’S A COMPLICATED ISSUE.
IT’S NOT EASILY REDUCED TO JUST
I’M FOR FREE SPEECH OR AGAINST
IT.
IT. >> JONATHAN, LAST POINT.
THE LeBRON ISSUE, IS IT OVER AND
DONE WITH.
DONE WITH. IS THIS JUST THE PRESIDENT’S 480
INSULT AND IT MOVES ON?
WE HAVEN’T HEARD BACK FROM MR.
JAMES.
JAMES. >> I’D BE SURPRISED IF WE HEARD
BACK FROM LeBRON.
HE DOESN’T NEED TO RESPOND.
HE’S A BIGGER MAN THAN THE
PRESIDENT, AND I THINK HE SHOULD
JUST KEEP DOING WHAT HE’S DOING.
THE PRESIDENT WILL COME BACK AND
ATTACK DON LEMON AND ATTACK
LeBRON JAMES THE SAME WAY HE
ATTACKS MAXINE WATERS.
HE’LL KEEP COMING BACK AT IT AS
LONG AS IT ALLOWS HIM TO VENT