Olympic gymnast Simone Biles entered the U.S. presidential election campaign on Friday with a post that appears to be a response to former President Donald Trump’s comment about “black jobs.”
“I love my Black job,” Biles posted on X in response to a post by singer Ricky Davila, who said, “Iconic photo of the GOAT mastering her Black job and collecting gold medals.”
The clash came hours after Biles defeated Brazilian Rebeca Andrade to win the all-around final at the Paris Olympics, winning her ninth gold medal. At 27, she is the oldest Olympic champion in gymnastics since 1952.
Trump, the 2024 Republican presidential candidate, has faced criticism for claiming during his June debate with Democratic President Joe Biden that migrants are taking “black jobs” and “Hispanic jobs” away from Americans. Trump’s remark incensed critics who called it a racist and offensive attempt to broaden his appeal beyond his white conservative base.
When asked by moderators what a “black job” was, Trump told attendees at the National Association of Black Journalists conference this week that “a black job is anyone who has a job,” which drew a groan from the audience.
Trump’s running mate, Ohio Senator JD Vance, has criticized Biles before. During an appearance on Fox News Channel in 2021 after Biles withdrew from Olympic competition to protect her own safety in Tokyo – a self-withdrawal that sparked an international discussion about mental health – Vance asked why the athlete did not continue.
“I think it does not reflect well on our kind of therapeutic society that we try to praise people not for their strong moments, not for their heroic deeds, but for their weakest moments,” said Vance, who was running for his Senate seat at the time.
Trump’s campaign team did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment on Biles’ post. Biles’ representatives also did not immediately respond to messages seeking further comment on her post or her general thoughts on the 2024 U.S. presidential election. ___
Meg Kinnard reported from Chapin, SC and can be reached at http://twitter.com/MegKinnardAP.
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Follow AP’s coverage of the 2024 election at https://apnews.com/hub/election-2024.
