Sen. Lindsey Graham: Bubba Wallace Has Nothing To Apologize For | Video

KILMEADE: So, the NBA is coming back and they’re going to have Black Lives Matter on the court. And you’re allowed to put phrases or stand up for a cause on your shirt. I think that’s going to — whatever you want to put on there. I remember the XFL did He Hate Me or they had their catch phrase on there, and it kind of bombed out.

So, do you think this is a good move?

GRAHAM: Well, I think it’s the NBA’s decisions to make. And we’ll see what the market place says. The market place will react to this, but one thing you won’t find on anybody’s shirt is to free Hong Kong.

The NBA is in the tank when it comes to China. They’re making social justice statements about our country that’s up to them as welcome free speech, but the NBA as an organization makes a lot of money off the Chinese market, and they never lifted their voice on behalf of freedom in Hong Kong or to push back against Chinese Communist Party oppression. A lot of this is market driven.

I just want to make one comment about NASCAR. I grew up in South Carolina, the NASCAR Hall of Fame is in Darlington. I’ve been going to car races as a kid when my — my dad, my uncle from the time I was old enough to see over the dashboard, NASCAR made a decision to ban the Confederate flag inside the infield and at NASCAR arenas. They’re trying to grow the sport and I’ve lived in South Carolina all my life and if you’re in business the Confederate flag is not a good way to grow your business.

The idea that Bubba Wallace, who is the only, I think, African-American driver, was upset by somebody finding a noose in the garage made perfect sense to me. So, what I would tell people from outside of South Carolina, that NASCAR is trying to grow the sport and one way you grow the sport is you take images that divide us and ask that they not be brought into the venue. That makes sense to me.

KILMEADE: So, the president tweeted this out, has Bubba Wallace apologized for all those great — to all those great NASCAR drivers and officials who came to his aid, stood by his side and were willing to sacrifice everything for him only to find out that the whole thing was just another hoax? That and flag decision, which has caused lowest ratings every.

GRAHAM: Well, I don’t think Bubba Wallace has anything to apologize for. I do say this about the drivers, even though it was a noose created to hold a door open, in the times in which we live, there’s a lot of anxiety.

So, what did you see, you saw the best in NASCAR when there was a chance that it was a threat against Bubba Wallace, they all rallied to Bubba’s side. So, I would be looking to celebrate that kind of attitude more than being worried about it being a hoax.