CNN host Anderson Cooper and theologist Cornel West got under Trump supporter Paris Dennard's skin in a panel discussion about the feud between the president and LeBron James.
In an interview with CNN's Don Lemon broadcast on July 30 and shown again on August 3, the NBA icon said he would not sit across from Trump if given the opportunity. Trump responded to the one-off statement later the night of the 3rd on Twitter by questioning the intelligence of both Lemon and James — a comment that's earned more speculation as to whether the president is a racist.
During the Monday night panel, Cooper and the famed evangelist duked it out with Dennard, who insisted that Trump "doesn't attack first" but was merely responding to James' claim that he would not sit across from him for an interview.
"You can say that LeBron James is acting like a child because he is saying these things that are petty, that are childish about the president of the United States," Dennard said. "So it goes both ways."
"That's the response of a 12-year-old," the host pointed out. "A 12-year-old can't stop themselves if somebody says something, they say something equally mean or worse. This is the president of the United States."
West went on to explain that Trump was the one who called black athletes "sons of b*tches" for kneeling during the National Anthem and "withdrew" his invitation for Golden State Warriors star Steph Curry to come to the White House after the iconic point guard hinted that he might not want to attend.
Watch the discussion below: