A recently resurfaced video is serving as a reminder of what the late Kobe Bryant‘s opinion on a White House visit where. Twitter user @RzstProgramming posted the clip on Thursday, which features an excerpt from an interview with Bryant he gave back in October 2017. When asked about the number of athletes who’ve declined an invitation since Trump took office, Bryant says he’d be among them.
#KobeBryant evolved on this issue while Trump was in office. When last asked, Kobe Bryant said he “wouldn’t go” to the Trump White House as a “matter of respect and standing up what you believe in.” #WhiteHouseVisit pic.twitter.com/3Du4HeBcar
— Resist Programming 🛰 (@RzstProgramming) February 28, 2020
“I wouldn’t go, simple.” Bryant says. “I think it’s a whole matter of respect and standing up for what you believe in. Now, you can agree or not disagree, and that’s completely fine. I think that’s the beauty of the country is being able to speak up for what you believe in. So being able to voice that opinion, you can agree with it, you can disagree with it, but I’ll certainly respect your opinion. I believe all thought should be valued. So, I wouldn’t go.”
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The NBA superstar was killed in a helicopter crash near Calabasas, California on Jan. 26. His daughter, Gianna Bryant was among the eight other victims. On the day of the tragedy, Trump tweeted his reaction, calling it “terrible news!”
“Kobe Bryant, despite being one of the truly great basketball players of all time, was just getting started in life,” Trump tweeted in a slightly more formal follow-up. “He loved his family so much, and had such strong passion for the future. The loss of his beautiful daughter, Gianna, makes this moment even more devastating. Melania and I send our warmest condolences to Vanessa and the wonderful Bryant family. May God be with you all.”
Former President Barack Obama also weighed in on Twitter, calling Bryant “a legend on the court” who was “just getting started in what would have been just as meaningful a second act.”
Vice President Mike Pence addressed the tragedy as well, praising the late Lakers guard as “one of the greatest basketball players the world has ever seen.”
Sports fans, however, were not quite taken with Pence’s condolences, with some even reminding the Veep that Bryant had tweeted about his dislike of Trump during his first year in office.
