Kerr moving on from Trump criticism: ‘I’m just trying to do my job’
Warriors coach Steve Kerr did little to entertain questions from reporters Saturday about the latest criticism levied by President Trump.
SAN FRANCISCO — Warriors coach Steve Kerr did little to entertain questions Saturday about President Trump’s tweet criticizing his response to the NBA’s ongoing controversy with China.
“Honestly, I’m trying to do my job. We’re in training camp. I know it’s a huge story, but I’m just trying to do my job,” Kerr told reporters.
Two days after being called out by Trump, Kerr was again the target of a deriding comment Friday night. “So funny to watch Steve Kerr grovel and pander when asked a simple question about China. He chocked, and looks weak and pathetic. Don’t want him at the White House!” Trump tweeted.
Trump’s tweet came a little more than 24 hours after Kerr made his first public comments after he was singled out by the president for “pandering to China.” Kerr told reporters before Thursday’s preseason game that the experience has been surreal, and he believes the Oval Office has “sunken low.”
During the press conference, Kerr recalled being invited to the White House in 1984 by former President Ronald Reagan six months after his father was shot and killed in a terrorist attack. The former president thanked him and his mother for his father’s services to the country.
“The office held such dignity and respect both from the people who were visiting and especially from the people who sat inside it, and it’s just sad that it’s come crashing down,” Kerr said.
Over the last three years, Kerr has been publicly critical of the Trump administration’s decision to pull an invitation to celebrate an NBA championship at the White House, stance on gun control and overall handling of domestic affairs.
Rookie guard Jordan Poole said that Kerr talked to the team about it Saturday morning, but that it was a conversation that lasted “maybe 30 seconds.” While Kerr was willing to fire back at the sitting president on Thursday, he now seems more eager to move on from the story as the team gets set to play a pair of preseason games in Los Angeles next week.