President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, said Thursday he would reach out to LeBron James following the Los Angeles Lakers’ choice to sit out Wednesday night’s playoff games in protest of the police shooting Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wisconsin.
“We’re happy to talk with him and say, ‘Look, let’s both figure out what we both want to accomplish and let’s come up with a common pathway to get there,’” Kushner, a senior White House adviser, said during an interview with Politico aired on C-SPAN, adding he would reach out to the athlete Thursday.
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The NBA playoffs came to a half Wednesday when members on the Milwaukee Bucks refused to play in their game to protest Blake’s shooting at the hands of police. “We stand firmly against reoccurring issues of excessive use of force and immediate escalation when engaging the Black community,” the team said in a statement. “Our organization will continue to stand for all Black lives as we demand accountability and systemic change on behalf of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Sylville Smith, Ernest Lacy, Dontre Hamilton, Tony Robinson, Joel Acevedo and countless other victims. We will work to enact policy change so these incidents no longer exist.”
Blake, a 29-year-old Black man, was shot seven times by a Kenosha Police Department officer as he attempted to get in his car, all of which was captured on video by bystanders at the scene. Amid the ongoing protests of police brutality and racism, the shooting ignited another round of protests across the U.S., as activists called for police reform and abolition. The Justice Department and Wisconsin authorities have launched investigations into the shooting as Blake fights for his life in the hospital after sustaining severe injuries.
After the Bucks’ decision to boycott, the NBA announced all of Wednesday’s games would be postponed, and players from the MLB, MLS and WNBA all elected to sit out games to protest the police shooting as well. James was a vocal advocate for change on Twitter, writing after the Bucks’ decision, “F— THIS MAN!!!! WE DEMAND CHANGE. SICK OF IT.”
During his conversation with Politico, Kushner said the NBA players had the “luxury” to take a night off from work. “I think it’s nice that they’re standing up for the issue, but I’d like to see them start moving into concrete solutions that are productive,” he said. “President Trump and this White House are willing to work with them. We actually have policies and the ability to execute them. We have a track record of getting things done that actually improve people’s lives, unlike a lot of people who are claiming to be their saviors.”
