NBA star Dwyane Wade lamented that his cousin’s fatal shooting was used for “political gain” by Donald Trump in a Friday interview with ABC’s “Good Morning America.”
The Republican nominee claimed that the murder of Nykea Aldridge, who was shot last weekend in Chicago while pushing her child in a stroller, would compel black Americans to vote for him.
“I was grateful that it started a conversation but on the other hand, it just left a bad taste in my mouth because of what my family is dealing with and what our city of Chicago is dealing with,” Wade told ABC’s George Stephanopoulos. “And it looks like it’s being used as political gain.”
Less than 24 hours after Aldridge’s death, Trump referenced the shooting in a tweet and wrote, “Just what I have been saying. African-Americans will VOTE TRUMP!”
Dwyane Wade’s cousin was just shot and killed walking her baby in Chicago. Just what I have been saying. African-Americans will VOTE TRUMP!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 27, 2016
A subsequent tweet offered “condolences” to Wade and his family.
Wade told Stephanopoulos that he felt “conflicted” about the tweet and the backlash that it sparked from critics who accused Trump of political opportunism and insensitivity to the Wade family.
“My cousin’s death was used as a ploy for political gain,” Wade said. “On the other hand, it’s a national story. It goes back to that for me. I want eyes on the city. I want us to be able to do more together.”
Trump has faced criticism before for using tragic events as an opportunity to highlight his political positions. After 49 people were murdered in June at an LGBT nightclub in Orlando, Florida, Trump sent out a tweet saying, “Appreciate the congrats for being right on radical Islamic terrorism.”
