Jemele Hill tries using the race card to defend Abdul Carter for criticizing Jaxson Dart and Trump
It would be difficult to find a more intellectually lazy response to the Jaxson Dart-President Trump-Abdul Carter “controversy” than the one former TV host Jemele Hill just offered.
First, the context:
Dart, the New York Giants’ starting quarterback, introduced President Donald Trump before a 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 with a ‘Go Big Blue,'” Dart said.
“What an honor, what a privilege to be here, and without further ado, I am grateful, I am honored, I am pleased to introduce the 45th and 47th Presidents of the United States of America, President Donald J. Trump.”
Dart’s teammate Abdul Carter reposted the video and appeared to criticize the introduction.
“I thought it was AI, what we do, man,” Carter wrote.
(Left) New York Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart (6) practices before the game against the Minnesota Vikings at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey on December 21, 2025. (Right) Abdul Carter (51) of the New York Giants watches from the field before an NFL football game against the Philadelphia Eagles at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey on October 9, 2025. (Vincent Carchietta/Imagn Images; Cooper Neill/Getty Images)
Any honest observer can see the situation for what it is: a player introduced the president at an event in the city where he plays, and one of his teammates publicly criticized him for it.
Yet Jemele Hill somehow turned the episode into something completely different.
On Saturday, Hill defended Carter after former Giants kicker Lawrence Tynes explained why publicly targeting a teammate is frowned upon in an NFL locker room.
“The locker room is a sacred place because it brings people of all backgrounds and beliefs together around a common goal,” Tynes posted on X. “Publicly calling out a teammate for their political views and drawing attention is a dirty job.”
Hill responded by framing Tynes’ comment as an attempt to silence Carter.
“So Jaxson Dart can publicly express his political beliefs, but not Abdul Carter? If it’s about sanctity and leadership in the locker room, is it a good idea for the face of the franchise to attend a political rally for a president who is considered extremely divisive?” asked Hill.
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Of course, Hill then incorporated the racial map into his argument:
“Let’s not do this thing where we try to pretend this isn’t what it looks like,” Hill added. “Abdul Carter is a black, Muslim man and given the things Trump has said/done about both groups, it’s fair and unsurprising that he has a problem with that.”
Uh, what?
First, describing this as two teammates simply “expressing political beliefs” is not accurate.
Dart did not make a political statement. He introduced the sitting President of the United States at an event. He did not support Trump or advocate for legislation. His actions were neither political nor partisan, but patriotic. There is a difference.
By Hill’s logic, every athlete who shook Barack Obama’s hand at the NBA All-Star Game in February also made a political statement. Note: this was no problem for him.
More importantly, the criticism leveled at Carter has little to do with his apparent dislike of Trump. As Tynes noted, the problem is that Carter chose to publicly embarrass a teammate rather than handle the matter privately.
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He could have texted Dart. I called him. I spoke to him face to face. Instead, he talked about it on social media, creating an avoidable distraction for the Giants ahead of offseason activities and forcing the organization to deal with internal divisions over a holiday weekend.
Hill should understand this distinction better than anyone. She has worked at several major media companies. If Employee X appears alongside a political figure, Employee Y is not suddenly given permission to condemn that colleague online.
Of course, Hill’s opinion of employees X and Y would probably depend entirely on their skin color and political affiliations.
Jemele Hill speaks on stage during the 56th NAACP Image Awards benefit concert at the Pasadena Convention Center in Pasadena, California on February 22, 2025. (By Griffin/Getty Images)
This brings us to his second argument.
Hill attempted to justify Carter’s behavior by pointing out that he is black and Muslim, two groups she said Trump has targeted with his rhetoric and policies.
At this point, you’re probably wondering what exactly Trump has done or said negatively towards black people and Muslims. We wondered the same thing and asked Hill about X. Unsurprisingly, she didn’t bother to explain.
Take the color and politics out of it. Jaxson Dart did nothing wrong. He introduced the president during his free time. He didn’t make a political statement on the court, like Colin Kaepernick did. He did not spread inflammatory propaganda on social media, as other NFL players have done. He simply welcomed the president on stage.
For all we know, Dart would have done the same thing if a Democrat were in power.
It was Abdul Carter who let his political beliefs 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 a Fighting For American Workers event in Suffern, New York, May 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Ryan Murphy)
As OutKick founder Clay Travis pointed out, the hypocrisy surrounding this outrage is also amusing.
“In the NFL, no one tweets if you beat a woman, but don’t you DARE speak at an event when you’re invited by the President of the United States,” Travis wrote.
Indeed.
Nor does anyone in the NFL tweet about players committing violent crimes or being arrested for reckless driving.
Finally, Hill and Carter may want to direct some of that outrage toward another figure with close ties to the Giants organization.
Carter has openly described Giants legend Lawrence Taylor as his idol. He even asked for Taylor’s retirement number after he was drafted. What Carter may not realize is that Taylor endorsed Trump in 2024 and now serves on Trump’s Council on Sports, Fitness and Nutrition.
Embarrassing, right?
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But seriously, at what point did Jemele Hill choose not to run once her initial argument fell apart? This seems to happen every time she engages in a viral debate.
Beyond his racial idolization, Hill has nothing of substance to add to the conversation. We saw it again, this time in his defense of Abdul Carter.
