At Milwaukee rally, Trump mocks Greek identity of Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo

So you’re Donald Trump. You’ve already made vulgar comments about the size of golf legend Arnold Palmer’s penis at a campaign rally in Latrobe, Pennsylvania.

And now at a Friday night rally in Milwaukee, you’ve just done your impression of porn star Linda Lovelace in “Deep Throat” by simulating oral sex with a balky microphone.

So what do you do next? You go out and mock  the Greek identity of Milwaukee Bucks superstar  Giannis Antetokounmpo.

“Your team is very good,” Trump said. “I would say the Greek is a seriously good player, do you agree? And tell me, who has more Greek in him? The Greek or me? I think we have about the same, right?”

The rally stage just happened to be beneath the Bucks’ 2021 NBA championship banner hanging in Fiserv Forum. Power forward/center Antetokounmpo, one of the NBA’s  all-time greatest players, led the Bucks to only their second NBA title that year.

Now Trump has no Greek ancestry. His parents were of German and Scottish ancestry. So he’s implying that there’s nothing Greek about Antetokounmpo.

Just another racist remark from the man who questioned whether President Barack Obama was born in the United States. And just after Vice President Kamala Harris entered the presidential race, Trump told a gathering of Black journalists that his rival had switched racial identities from Indian to Black.

Antetokounmpo’s parents emigrated from Nigeria to Greece but did not have work permits. He was born in Athens in 1994, but Greece does not grant birthright citizenship. Antetokounmpo grew up undocumented and impoverished. He told ESPN in an interview that his parents had difficulty finding steady work and from an early age he did whatever he could to help his family get by:

 "I used to sell things since I can remember myself, since I was six or seven years old. I was always out of home trying as much as I could to help my mom and dad by selling watches, glasses, CDs, DVDs, and everything I could find. I was doing that until I turned 17 because I had to. I had no other choice. When I was selling all those things, I was the best seller. My secret was that I would never give up.”

He began playing basketball in 2007, and did not gain Greek citizenship until 2013 shortly before the NBA draft. Until then he was stateless and could not travel outside the country.

In another ESPN interview, Antetokounmpo said he identifies himself as both Greek and Nigerian.

“What I can tell people is that I was born and raised in Greece. I understand the Greek culture, speak the language, and know the history but at the end of the day, I know the same things about the Nigerian culture.

“I’m not just one thing, you cannot tell me what I am. I can tell you how I feel and who I am. The man I am today, I feel like I am both. I am happy I have the opportunity to share my journey and my story.”

This summer Antetokounmpo completed the journey from undocumented immigrant to carrying the Greek flag in the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics.

In Donald Trump’s nightmare America, Antetokounmpo’s family would be among those rounded up for mass deportation and he might not have had a journey and story to share.

Bucks coach Doc Rivers has endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris and recently narrated a television advertisement for her that played during sports events in Wisconsin. He reminded voters that just before the Republican National Convention was held in Fiserv Arena, Trump called Milwaukee “a horrible city.”

At his Friday rally, Trump later tried to backtrack on his comments about Antetokounmpo’s Greek identity by praising him as “maybe the best player in the NBA.”

“He’s supposed to be a very good guy, too,” Trump added. He then did his weave again and said: “With your help, we’re going to defeat Kamala Harris.”

But the damage was already done.