ESPN’s Jemele Hill is blasting President Trump again.
The former “SportsCenter” co-host accused Trump of using “racial pornography” to stoke tensions and incite racial divisions among Americans, during an interview on MSNBC’s “Politics Nation” with the Rev. Al Sharpton.
Hill, who previously called Trump a “white supremacist,” called out Trump’s State of the Union address where the president took a shot at the NFL kneelers protesting social injustices.
“It’s a very easy dog whistle,” Hill said. “It’s low-hanging fruit. It’s what I like to call racial pornography because it’s a way to stoke his base. Look, in a weird way, I think it’s kind of weirdly brilliant because he has been able to hijack the entire conversation and to make this about patriotism.
“If anybody knew just even the smallest bit about American history, they would understand that what the players have chosen to do is the most patriotic thing that you could,” Hill said.
Trump has repeatedly taken aim at NFL players who have knelt during the national anthem to protest oppressions against African Americans.
During Trump’s State of the Union speech, Trump highlighted the contributions of a young 12-year-old boy who has placed flags at the graves of veterans. Preston Sharp’s reverence, Trump said, “reminds us of why we salute our flag, why we put our hands on our hearts for the Pledge of Allegiance, and why we proudly stand for the national anthem.”
Members of the Congressional Black Caucus took the applause line as another cheap shot against black athletes speaking out.
This isn’t the first time Hill has tussled with Trump.
The White House called for her firing when she tweeted Trump was a “white supremacist.”
She was suspended by ESPN in October for again bucking the company’s social media policy for tweeting against Dallas Cowboys’ owner Jerry Jones.
Despite the firestorm, Hill said it was “100 percent” her decision to leave ESPN’s marquee show “SportsCenter” and write for its “Undefeated” website, where she’ll tackle the intersection of sports, race and culture.
“SportsCenter is the legacy brand at ESPN. I had a great year doing the show,” Hill said. “But it was not a fit for me because ultimately I had a lot of things that really wanted to say and wanted to express. And the Sports Center vehicle is not necessarily set up for that. So I wanted to be on a property that was.”Hill said she is “deeply aligned” with former 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick who helped start a movement for kneeling during the anthem. Taking a knee was a message to military defending our country that Americans were “not living up to the ideals that the flag is supposed to represent,” Hill said.
African Americans who have found fame and success have an obligation to use their platform to speak out about injustices, she said.
“I’m still a black woman in America, that’s not going to change,” Hill said.
“…You almost feel a deeper responsibility to make sure you allow others to stand on your shoulders,” Hill said.
As for sports, Hill predicted a narrow Super Bowl win for the New England Patriots (28-24) over the Philadelphia Eagles.