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President Donald Trump remembered his friend and boxing legend Mike Tyson by defending him against accusations of racism during a Black History Month speech at the White House on Wednesday.
Trump’s claims about Tyson came as the president praised famous black athletes in American history, including Tyson, fellow boxing legends Muhammad Ali and Sugar Ray Leonard, and NFL legend Lawrence Taylor.
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“Mike Tyson, boy, I’ll tell you, Mike’s been loyal to me. Every time they come out and say ‘Trump’s racist!’ Mike Tyson says: ‘It’s not racist! He’s my friend, he’s been there from the beginning. Good times and bad times,” Trump said.
“But Mike Tyson is a great guy and he was very loyal, always has been.”
Trump and Tyson have a friendship that dates back to the 1980s, during Tyson’s prime as a boxer and Trump’s rise as a famous New York City real estate developer.
Tyson has contributed to multiple initiatives under the Trump administration.
Tyson supported the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins partnering with the Trump administration to combat obesity in early February. During the Super Bowl, Tyson spoke in a commercial about the importance of addressing America’s dependence on processed foods. In the advertisement,
BOXING GREAT MIKE TYSON DISCUSS HEALTH CHANGE, JUNK FOOD PAST AND RELATIONSHIP WITH TRUMP
Last summer, Tyson previously wrote a letter to Trump urging him to federally recategorize cannabis as a less harmful substance. Tyson led a coalition that included a list of other athletes and entertainers, including Kevin Durant and Ricky Williams, pushing for change.
It paid off in December, when Trump rescheduled cannabis from Schedule I to Schedule III, which is considered less harmful and more usable for medical research.
Trump praised other famous African-American athletes at the event.
About Ali: “Muhammad Ali, who was a friend of mine, I put a photo of me and Muhammad. It was another job. He taught the best, but in the end he was able to fight well.”
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On Taylor: “Lawrence Taylor, great friend, Lawrence, the great Lawrence Taylor, the best defensive player probably in the history of football, is a great friend of mine. But I’m farther off the tee than he is. You know what you’re saying? Make the trip back because it takes a club all the way here and you hit it 200 yards. When you can do that, you’re strong. He’s a great, he’s a great guy.”
Former New York Giants linebacker Lawrence Taylor (56) is shown sacking Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Craig Erickson during their game on September 12, 1993 at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (MARK D. PHILLIPS/AFP via Getty Images)
On former NFL star Herschel Walker: “Herschel Walker talks about loyalty. What a good football player he was. Herschel. Yes, Herschel Walker is now an ambassador to the Bahamas.”
