President Trump called LeBron James a “TOTAL DISGRACE” for his actions during the national anthem, and Vice President JD Vance separately slammed two WNBA teams for skipping the anthem entirely.
Story Snapshot
- Trump posted on Truth Social that LeBron James “disrespects our Country” during the anthem.
- Video from an October 20 game shows James making golf-swing and shooting motions as the anthem played.
- Trump repeated the attack at a campaign rally in Sioux City, Iowa.
- Vice President Vance called a separate WNBA Finals anthem protest by the Golden State Valkyries and Atlanta Dream “disgraceful.”
Trump Blasts James Over Anthem Conduct
President Trump did not hold back. In an October 22, 2026 Truth Social post, he wrote that “while listening to our National Anthem, LeBron James disrespects our Country!” He called the Los Angeles-turned-Philadelphia star a “TOTAL DISGRACE” and demanded James apologize to military members and others who died for the flag.
The comments came after footage spread from the Philadelphia 76ers’ season opener against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden on October 20. Video from that game appears to show James practicing a golf swing and running through basketball shooting motions while the anthem played.
What the Video Actually Shows
Reporters from the Associated Press and ABC News both described the same clip: James moving his arms in a golf-swing motion and mimicking a jump shot during the anthem, rather than standing still. The footage establishes exactly what he did. It does not include any statement from James explaining why he was moving, whether he was simply warming up, stretching, or doing something else before tip-off.
For a lot of conservative fans, the why matters less than the optics. A veteran who stood for that flag overseas does not get a warm-up routine during “The Star-Spangled Banner.” Standing still for roughly ninety seconds is not a heavy lift, and millions of Americans believe professional athletes earning tens of millions of dollars owe that much respect to the country that built the stage they play on.
Trump Doubles Down at Iowa Rally
This was not a one-off tweet that got deleted or walked back. Trump repeated the criticism in person at a campaign rally in Sioux City, Iowa, telling the crowd James was practicing his golf swing during the anthem and calling it “a big scandal kind of a story.” Saying it twice, once online and once on stage in front of a live audience, shows the president meant exactly what he said.
Vance Takes Aim at WNBA Anthem Snubs
The controversy did not stop with James. Vice President Vance separately called out the Golden State Valkyries and Atlanta Dream for continuing to skip the national anthem during the WNBA Finals. Vance said criticism of a politician’s policies should never be expressed by disrespecting the country as a whole. His comment framed the issue the same way Trump did: a line exists between political disagreement and public disrespect for the flag, and these athletes crossed it.
Taken together, the two episodes paint a picture of a White House willing to call out disrespect for the anthem wherever it happens, whether it is an NBA superstar in New York or WNBA teams on the league’s biggest stage. That consistency is likely to resonate with supporters who have long felt that professional sports leagues let anthem protests slide without consequence.
James Has Faced This Debate Before
Trump also weighed in on James’s broader legacy during a Fox News interview, raising the possibility that James’s feelings toward him are personal. “Maybe he’s a racist. Maybe he doesn’t like Trump, I don’t know. But I only like people that like me,” Trump said. That remark gives critics an opening to call the anthem criticism personally motivated. Still, the video from Madison Square Garden exists independent of that comment, and it is the video driving this particular controversy.
A Familiar Fight Over Flag and Country
Anthem disputes have flared up in American sports again and again since Colin Kaepernick first knelt in 2016, and polling has long shown Americans split along political and racial lines over whether such gestures are acceptable. What is different this time is that a sitting president and vice president are both speaking up, in real time, about specific incidents involving two of the country’s biggest pro basketball leagues. For conservatives who believe respect for the flag should never be optional, that pushback is long overdue.
LeBron James, 41 and in a record 24th NBA season, was accused by President Donald Trump on Thursday of disrespecting the United States during the national anthem before his first game for the Philadelphia 76ers.
Video from Madison Square Garden on Tuesday showed James appearing… pic.twitter.com/EI3baZ65pr
— Ifeanyi (@IamIfeanyio) October 22, 2026
Sources:
facebook.com, bbc.com, sports.yahoo.com, abcnews.com
