Michael Jordan reacts after fake Trump endorsement goes viral

NBA superstar Michael Jordan has set the record straight.

Following a viral post that suggested that the 61-year-old athlete had endorsed Donald Trump ahead of today’s vote, Jordan’s representatives have issued a statement denying the NBA star’s endorsement of any candidate. 

In the statement to The Independent, Jordan’s representatives stated: “There is absolutely no truth to the claim that Michael Jordan has made an endorsement in the presidential election.”

The infamous post from two days ago falsely claimed that the six-time NBA champion had “become the latest to endorse Donald Trump for President.”

Jordan is notoriously private and rarely reveals his political allegiances, as opposed to another NBA legend, LeBron James.

Indeed, the fake social media post came in the wake of James’ endorsement of Kamala Harris.

In his post, the 39-year-old Los Angeles Lakers star wrote: “What are we even talking about here?? When I think about my kids and my family and how they will grow up, the choice is clear to me. VOTE KAMALA HARRIS!!!”

James’ post also included a video featuring clips of racist remarks made by Trump and comedian Tony Hinchcliffe, and ended with the caption: “Hate takes us back.”

Many celebrities from the sports world have chosen a side in this hotly contested race, especially in favour of Harris. These include other notable NBA icons like Magic Johnson  and Steph Curry.

This isn’t the first time that a fake endorsement has backfired for Trump.

In August, Donald Trump shared AI-generated images that falsely suggested that he had Taylor Swift’s backing for the upcoming elections.

“I accept!” Trump wrote, before doing an 180 turn and very presidentially rage-posting “I HATE TAYLOR SWIFT” once the pop star had endorsed Harris.

Swift mentioned the use of AI and Trump’s misuse of the images in her endorsement message, saying it “really conjured up my fears around AI, and the dangers of spreading misinformation.”

“It brought me to the conclusion that I need to be very transparent about my actual plans for this election as a voter,” added Swift. “The simplest way to combat misinformation is with the truth.”

Additional sources • The Independent