Olympic gymnastics champion Simone Biles entered the fray of the U.S. presidential race on Friday with a post that appears to clap back at former President Donald Trump’s comment about “Black jobs.” “I love my black job,” Biles posted on X, in response to a post from singer Ricky Davila, who had said: “Iconic photo of the GOAT mastering her black job and collecting Gold Medals.”
Quick Read
- Olympic gymnastics champion Simone Biles posted on X, saying, “I love my black job,” in response to former President Donald Trump’s comment about “Black jobs.”
- Biles’ post was a reply to singer Ricky Davila, who praised her for mastering her “black job” and collecting gold medals.
- Biles’ statement came hours after winning her ninth gold medal by holding off Brazil’s Rebeca Andrade in the all-around Paris Olympics gymnastics finals.
- At 27, Biles is the oldest Olympic women’s gymnastics champion since 1952.
- Trump faced criticism for his June debate comment that migrants are taking “Black jobs” and “Hispanic jobs,” which many called racist and insulting.
- When asked to clarify, Trump said at the National Association of Black Journalists conference that “a Black job is anybody that has a job,” drawing groans from the audience.
- Trump’s running mate, Ohio Sen. JD Vance, previously criticized Biles for her 2021 withdrawal from the Tokyo Olympics to protect her mental health, calling it a reflection of a “therapeutic society” that praises weakness.
- Neither Trump’s campaign nor Biles’ representatives immediately returned messages seeking further comment.
The Associated Press has the story:
Simone Biles says she loves her ‘Black Job,’ an apparent clapback at Donald Trump
Newslooks- (AP)
Olympic gymnastics champion Simone Biles entered the fray of the U.S. presidential race on Friday with a post that appears to clap back at former President Donald Trump’s comment about “Black jobs.” “I love my black job,” Biles posted on X, in response to a post from singer Ricky Davila, who had said: “Iconic photo of the GOAT mastering her black job and collecting Gold Medals.”
The exchange came hours after Biles held off Brazil’s Rebeca Andrade to win the all-around Paris Olympics gymnastics finals, taking home her ninth gold medal. At 27, she’s the oldest Olympic women’s gymnastics champ since 1952. Trump, the 2024 Republican presidential nominee, has been criticized for arguing during his June debate with Democratic President Joe Biden that migrants are taking “Black jobs” and “Hispanic jobs” from Americans. Trump’s remark angered critics, who called it a racist and insulting attempt to expand his appeal beyond his white conservative base.
When pushed by moderators on what constituted a “Black job,” Trump told attendees at this week’s National Association of Black Journalists conference that “a Black job is anybody that has a job,” drawing groans from the room. Trump’s running mate, Ohio Sen. JD Vance, has been critical of Biles before. During a 2021 Fox News Channel appearance, following Biles’ withdrawal from that year’s Olympics competition to protect her own safety in Tokyo — a self-removal that prompted an international discussion about mental health — Vance questioned why the athlete didn’t push forward.
“I think it reflects pretty poorly on our sort of therapeutic society that we try to praise people, not for moments of strength, not for moments of heroism, but for their weakest moments,” Vance, who was then running for his Senate seat, said at the time. Trump’s campaign did not immediately return a message seeking comment on what Biles posted. Biles’ representatives also did not immediately return messages seeking further comment on her post or her thoughts generally about the 2024 U.S. presidential election.
