Jared Kushner said he would reach out to basketball superstar LeBron James Thursday following protests for social justice in the NBA and other major sporting leagues.
Speaking to Politico, the President's son-in-law reiterated comments he made to CNBC that NBA players have the "luxury" to take a night off to protest police brutality, but he'd like specific solutions beyond the symbolic gesture.
"We're offering solutions with policy, the other side is doing a lot of complaining. What I'd love to see from the players in the NBA, again, they have the luxury of taking a night off from work. Most Americans don't have the financial luxury to do that. I think that it's nice they're standing up for the issue, but I'd like to see them start moving into concrete solutions that are productive," Kushner said.
He said the White House would be happy to talk with LeBron James, a social justice advocate who has funded charter schools, to discuss "what we want to accomplish" and a "common pathway."
Asked if he had reached out to him, Kushner said, "I have not, and I will reach out to him today."
On protests more broadly, Kushner said, "What we do need to do right now is make sure that we take the anger that people have and we have to move from slogans to constructive solutions," touting criminal justice reform, work with opportunity zones, and the President's support for historically Black colleges and universities.
