Following her gold medal grab at the Paris Olympics on Thursday, Team USA gymnast Simone Biles took to X to celebrate, writing: “I love my black job 🖤”
Biles’ post was seemingly a jab at former president Donald Trump, who has elicited criticism and spawned online memes for stating, without any concrete evidence, that immigrants coming to the United States illegally are “taking Black jobs” at the June 27 presidential debate.
Biles became the most decorated women’s gymnast in United States history with her ninth Olympic medal. The three-time Olympian has taken home her sixth gold medal, this time in individual all-around. Biles is the first woman to win two Olympic all-around titles since Czechoslovakia’s Vera Caslavska in 1964 and 1968.
The latest instance of his discussion of “Black jobs” was at the National Association of Black Journalists conference, where he appeared as a speaker. He spoke at a panel on July 31 moderated by ABC News Senior Congressional Correspondent Rachel Scott, Fox News Anchor Harris Faulkner and Semafor Political Reporter Kadia Goba.
On the panel, Trump stated that he wanted “to stop people from invading our country” who are “taking Black jobs” and “Hispanic jobs.”
When asked to explain what a Black job is, the former president declared: “A Black job is anybody that has a job.”
He also questioned Kamala Harris’ race and identity on the panel: “I’ve known her a long time, indirectly, not directly, very much, and always of Indian heritage, and she was only promoting Indian heritage. I didn’t know she was Black until a number of years ago when she happened to turn Black, and now she wants to be known as Black Indian. Or is she Black?”
Biles’ tweet was a response to singer-songwriter Ricky Davila, who wrote: “Simone Biles being the GOAT, winning Gold medals and dominating gymnastics is her black job.” Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James also took to the platform to show his support for Biles.
