Jemele Hill tries using the race card to defend Abdul Carter for criticizing Jaxson Dart and Trump

Jaxson Dart – We’d be hard-pressed to find a more intellectually lazier response to the President Trump-Abdul Carter “debate” than the one former television host Jemele Hill just offered.

First the background:

Dart, the starting quarterback for the New York Giants, introduced President Donald Trump before his speech in Suffern, New York, on Friday.

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“Big Blue Nation, it’s a pleasure to be here. I have to start this with ‘Go Big Blue,'” Dart said.

“What an honor, what a privilege to be here, and without further ado, I am grateful, honored, pleased to introduce President Donald J. Trump, the 45th and 47th President of the United States.”

Dart’s teammate Abdul Carter reposted the video and appeared to criticize the promotion.

“I thought what we were doing was artificial intelligence,” Carter wrote.

Any honest observer can see what the situation is: A player introduced the president at an event in the city where he plays, and one of his teammates openly criticized him for it.

But Jemele Hill somehow turned the episode into something else entirely.

On Saturday, Hill defended Carter after former Giants kicker Lawrence Tynes explained why his openly targeting a teammate was frowned upon in the NFL locker room.

“The locker room is a sacred place because it brings together everyone from all walks of life and beliefs for one common goal,” Tynes shared on X. “Openly calling out and drawing attention to a teammate for their political views is bad business.”

Hill responded by framing Tynes’ comment as an attempt to silence Carter.

“So Jaxson Dart can openly express his political beliefs, but Abdul Carter doesn’t? If this is about the sanctity of the locker room and leadership, is it a good idea for a president who is considered the face of the franchise to be highly divisive to attend a political rally?” Hill asked.

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Of course, Hill later incorporated the race card into his argument:

“Let’s not do this thing where we’re trying to pretend this isn’t what it seems,” Hill added. “Abdul Carter is a black man and a Muslim, and given the things Trump has said/done about both groups, that’s fair and also unsurprising that he has a problem with that.”

What?

First of all, it is not correct to define this as two teammates just “expressing their political beliefs”.

Dart did not make a political statement. He introduced the incumbent President of the United States at an event. He did not support Trump or defend the law. His actions were neither political nor partisan, but rather patriotic. There is a difference.

By Hill’s logic, every athlete who shook hands with Barack Obama at the NBA All-Star Game in February was also making a political statement. Note: He had no problem with this.

More importantly, the criticism of Carter has little to do with his open dislike of Trump. The problem, as Tynes noted, was that Carter chose to publicly embarrass his teammate rather than address the issue privately.

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He may have texted Dart. I called him. We talked to him face to face. Instead, he shared it on social media, creating an avoidable distraction for the Giants heading into offseason activities and forcing the organization to deal with internal division over a holiday weekend.

Hill should understand this distinction better than most. He has worked for many major media companies. If employee

Of course, Hill’s views on employees X and Y will likely depend entirely on their skin color and political leanings.

Jemele Hill speaks on stage during the 56th NAACP Image Awards Benefit Concert at the Pasadena Convention Center on February 22, 2025 in Pasadena, California. (Paras Griffin/Getty Images)

This brings us to his second argument.

Hill attempted to justify Carter’s behavior by highlighting that he was black and Muslim, two groups that he claimed Trump targeted with his rhetoric and policies.

At this point you’re probably wondering what exactly Trump did or said negatively towards Black people and Muslims. We wondered the same thing and asked Hill this question about X. Unsurprisingly, Hill didn’t bother to explain.

Leave skin color and politics aside. Jaxson Dart did nothing wrong. He introduced the president in his own time. He didn’t make a political statement on the field like Colin Kaepernick did. He did not spread inflammatory propaganda on social media like other NFL players did. He just invited the president to the stage.

For all we know, Dart would have done the same if a Democrat were in office.

It was Abdul Carter who allowed his political beliefs to influence his decision-making. He was the one who turned this into a problem for the team.

New York Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart greets President Donald Trump during the Fight for American Workers event on May 22, 2026 in Suffern, NY. (AP Photo/Ryan Murphy)

The hypocrisy surrounding anger is also entertaining, as OutKick founder Clay Travis points out.

“Nobody Tweets when you beat up a woman in the NFL, but DO NOT DARE speak at an event when you are invited by the President of the United States,” Travis wrote.

Actually.

And no one in the NFL is tweeting about players committing violent crimes or being arrested for reckless driving.

Finally, Hill and Carter may want to direct some of that anger at another person closely connected to the Giants organization.

Carter openly described Giants legend Lawrence Taylor as his idol. He even asked for Taylor’s retired number after he was drafted. What Carter may not realize is that Taylor is endorsing Trump in 2024 and currently serves on Trump’s Sports, Fitness and Nutrition Council.

Strange, isn’t it?

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But seriously, how great was it that Jemele Hill started running by default when her original argument collapsed? This seems to happen every time he engages in a viral controversy.

Beyond his racial idolatry, Hill has nothing significant to add to the conversation. We saw this again, this time defending Abdul Carter.