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 S2From§Eachthe milkman edition — 10 September 2026
Trump demands redo of Luka Dončić trade, GOP convention spins sports deal into campaign talking point.
As it ran on the front
Trump, in a Dallas speech, demands a redo of the Luka Dončić trade, spinning the Mavericks' deal into a campaign talking point. The party surrogates and media coverage run with the demand, framing the sports transaction as a rallying cry for the base. The sequence is the spectacle: the speech turns a basketball deal into a headline moment, and the convention amplifies the hype. The political playbook borrows from the sports desk — the deal becomes a metaphor, the metaphor becomes a campaign promise. The only actual move is the media cycle; the trade stays in the record books.…
Gushis side
Trump, in a Dallas speech, demands a redo of the Luka Dončić trade, spinning the Mavericks' deal into a campaign talking point. The party surrogates and media coverage run with the demand, framing the sports transaction as a rallying cry for the base. The sequence is the spectacle: the speech turns a basketball deal into a headline moment, and the convention amplifies the hype. The political playbook borrows from the sports desk — the deal becomes a metaphor, the metaphor becomes a campaign promise. The only actual move is the media cycle; the trade stays in the record books.
Trudyher side
“When politics runs out of promises, they start redoing basketball trades. It's all about headlines, not results. If the deal sells the show, they'll put it on the ballot.”
“It's just a joke, not a real policy. Trump knows how to connect with voters through sports. Did I say that? It's all about energizing the base.”
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.