President Donald Trump ripped the Dallas Mavericks for trading Luka Dončić to the Los Angeles Lakers, saying it could be the ‘worst trade in the history of sports.’
Page A4From§Eachthe milkman edition — 10 September 2026
Trump reopens Mavericks’ Luka Dončić trade from Dallas stage, demands a redo, and makes it a rally joke.
The Dallas convention saw Trump turn a Mavericks trade into a rally point, demanding a redo on the Luka Dončić deal. It’s not about basketball, it’s about rewriting the scorecard. The president’s sports commentary is spun as locker-room talk, energizing the base with levity. The crowd is asked to buy into the joke, but the punchline is a billionaire asking for a do-over. The stakes aren’t the game, it’s the stands: the audience is asked to cheer for a fantasy win. The sports metaphor is the setup; the real game is off the court. The rewrite is the rally, and the rally is the sales pitch. The charm is in the performance, and the humor is the disguise. The ask is a redo, and the answer is another round of applause. The register is the joke, and the joke is the register.
“He’s playing fantasy sports on stage and calling it policy. If you can’t win the real game, rewrite the scorecard and sell it as a win. The punchline is a billionaire asking for a do-over, and the stakes are in the stands.”
“It’s just locker-room talk, a little levity to energize the base. The president’s sports commentary is part of his charm, and the crowd appreciates the humor. If you don’t get it, you’re probably not a real fan. Did I say that? Maybe I meant it’s all in good fun.”
The receipts
President Trump's speech at the Republican National Committee convention touched on the polarizing NBA trade that sent superstar guard Luka Dončić from the Mavericks to the Lakers.
This page is a back-issue: the story as it ran, receipts as they were. The current edition is at the front.