Donald Trump’s choice of “athletes” to surround himself with as he announced the return of the Presidential Fitness Test got a big thumbs down on MSNBC on Friday morning, with several of his choices called out as “problematic.”
During the White House press availability to promote his latest executive order, the president was accompanied by golfer Bryson DeChambeau, controversial Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker and former New York Giants linebacker Lawrence Taylor, a registered sex offender dating back to 2011.
According to the president, his guests were “truly great sports legends of all time.”
After joking that Trump would probably have trouble passing the test, MSNBC host Jonathan Lemire disagreed with the president’s assessment of the men who surrounded him and told “Morning Joe” regular guest Pablo Torre, “I will say, though, he was joined by a somewhat problematic group of celebrity athletes.”
“I mean, Lawrence Taylor, one of the great, maybe the greatest offensive player of all time,” the popular sports podcaster replied before pointing out, “Also, at one point, literally a registered sex offender. Triple H [ex-WWE wrestler Paul Michael Levesque], notably not a professional athlete.”
As video ran, he added, “There he is, the guy on the right that Donald Trump also needed help identifying at one point in this video, he is the guy who, I guess, replaces [legendary college football coach] Nick Saban, who was promised as part of this council to reimagine college sport and college football in particular.”
“That whole group is a bit of a DC Comics Suicide Squad of misfits running sports,” he joked.
“Also there, Harrison Butker, the Kansas City Chiefs kicker who made some, you know, drew the ire of many for what was perceived , like, really controversial sexist remarks,” Lemire observed.
You can watch below or at the link.
– YouTube youtu.be