White House senior adviser Jared Kushner said Thursday that NBA players refusing to play in protest of a recent police shooting party are fortunate enough to be “free one night off work.”
Kushner, the son-in-law of President Donald Trump, was asked on CNBC’s “Squawk Box” about the decision of the Milwaukee Bucks and the Orlando Magic to stay out of court after the shooting of Jacob Blake, a 29-year-old Black man who was shot Sunday by Wisconsin by police.
All three NBA playoff games scheduled for Wednesday were postponed in light of the Bucks’ protest. Other teams from other sports leagues followed the pack.
“Look, I think the NBA players are very happy that they have the financial position where they can take a night off from work without having the financial consequences for themselves,” Kushner said. “That they have that luxury, that’s great.”
Kushner added: “Look, I think with the NBA, there is a lot of activism, and I think they have put out a lot of slogans. But I think what we need to do is change from slogans and signals to actual action that will solve the problem. “
Kushner also praised Trump’s record on social justice, listing achievements including signing a bill to reform a bilingual criminal justice system. He said the president’s main speech at the Republican National Convention on Thursday night will focus on how politicians in Washington, DC, have long failed “American inner cities.” “
Video footage of Blake’s shooting quickly launched an outburst of anger against law enforcement. Similar to what happened after police shootings in other cities, recent demonstrations in Kenosha, Wisconsin, were violent, with news outlets reporting that Protestants threw projectiles at police and officials throwing tear gas into the crowds. Authorities there said two people were shot dead Tuesday night, NBC News reported.
Trump has taken a hard line against violence that came from a massive wave of protests against police brutality and systemic racism in the wake of George Floyd’s death. He has called on the federal government to intervene in Kenosha to crack down on the unrest, but has not publicly tweeted or commented on Blake’s shooting.
Democratic nominee Joe Biden and Senator Kamala Harris, his vice presidency, said Wednesday that they are speaking with Blake’s family. Biden also unequivocally condemned the “unnecessary violence” in Kenosha and called for healing and unity.
Later Thursday morning, Kushner told Politico that although “it’s fun” to express the players, “I would like them to start going into concrete solutions that are productive.”
Recalling that NBA superstar Lebron James made significant contributions outside of protest, Kushner said the Trump administration was open to initiating a dialogue with him.
“When Lebron James reached the White House, if we could reach out to him, we would be happy to talk to him and say, ‘Look, let’s both agree on what we want to achieve and let’s go down a common path. come to get there, ” said Kushner.
Kushner told Politico he did not contact James yet, but added: “I will reach him today.”
This develops news. Please check for updates.
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