ATLANTA (AP) — Players in the WNBA Finals say they are concentrating on preparing for the upcoming game and not President Donald Trump’s criticism of them and others in the league for leaving the court prior to the national anthem being played.
“I’m focused on the finals," Atlanta guard Allisha Gray said Friday at the Dream's practice ahead of Saturday's Game 4. ”I am not really on social media and listening to what people are saying."
Basketball has recently been a focus of the president.
Trump spoke at a rally on Thursday in Iowa and criticized WNBA players for leaving the court before the national anthem is played, and called for a boycott of the league. He had lashed out on social media at the WNBA, along with NBA icon LeBron James for his actions during the anthem, but also called for fans to not watch the WNBA.
Several of Gray's Atlanta teammates and Golden State players shared her sentiments, saying they were tuning out anything that didn't have to do with game preparations.
“For me it's staying off social media. It's just going inward with our teammates and staff,” Valkyries forward Kiah Stokes said. “Staying together. That's been one of our keys all season.”
Trump mentioned at the Iowa rally that WNBA players have been leaving the court before the national anthem is played. Leaving the court before the anthem is not a recent development in the WNBA. It has been part of many teams' pregame routine for years, dating back to at least when the league played the entire 2020 season in Florida because of the coronavirus pandemic.
“By the way, what’s going on with the women’s NBA? What’s that all about?" the president said at the rally. “You know, they’ll destroy themselves before they get started, because they just started to do good.”
Trump went on to say that fans should stop viewing WNBA games because the players don't stay for the anthem. which is played 10 minutes before the end of pregame warmups. Teams have left the court to raise awareness for social justice issues or simply to continue to prepare for the game.
“You know the NFL did that for a while and they stopped because people stopped watching the games,” Trump said. “I think you should do the same thing with women’s basketball.”
The WNBA had no comment on Trump's speech.
As for James, a four-time Olympic medalist, the president said the 76ers forward disrespected the United States after he appeared to continue his warmups while the national anthem was performed before Philadelphia’s season opener on Tuesday.
See AP’s full WNBA coverage here
Philadelphia 76ers forward LeBron James looks on during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the New York Knicks Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
President Donald Trump gestures after speaking at a campaign rally at Sioux Gateway Airport, Thursday, Oct. 22, 2026, in Sioux City, Iowa. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump, seeking to help Republican Sen. Susan Collins in a tough reelection battle in Maine, is exempting some imports — including plywood sheets, packing crates and some machinery — from the 50% tariffs he slapped on $20 billion worth of Canadian products over the summer. The changes will take effect Oct. 30.
The White House said the president was seeking to offset "the burden to U.S. commerce while better serving the public interest.''
Collins, locked in a tight race with Democratic challenger Troy Jackson, issued a statement saying she'd spoken with Trump's top trade negotiator, Jamieson Greer, and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick "about the toll tariffs are taking on Maine families, businesses, farmers, and growers.''
"Many of our farmers and growers rely on specialized equipment, packaging materials, and other products from Canada that are either unavailable from American suppliers or cannot be replaced without incurring significant expense,” Collins said.
She said she asked for tariff relief for such products “and stressed the burdens additional costs impose on Maine businesses and families.”
Collins said she'd seek "additional relief from tariffs and encourage a broader trade agreement with Canada, our neighbor, ally, and largest trading partner.”
Trump started a trade war with America’s longstanding ally and northern neighbor, reaching back to a Depression-era trade law to impose tariffs on Canadian imports. He charged that Canada discriminates against U.S. dairy, auto and alcoholic beverage producers. Canada promptly lashed back with tariffs of 15% to 50% on American products, matching Trump’s import taxes dollar for dollar.
Trump ratcheted the dispute up from there last month by imposing a flat-out ban on $1 billion worth of Canadian imports, including alcoholic beverages, dairy products and motorcycles.
The U.S. president has claimed that foreign countries pay his tariffs. In fact, U.S. importers do. And they often face the tough choice of having to pass along the higher costs to their customers or absorb them.
As the Nov. 3 midterm elections approach, many Americans are furious about the cost of living. An Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll of 2,140 U.S. adults, conducted Sept. 24-28, found that 65% now blame Trump’s policies for persistently high prices more than factors outside of his control, signaling weariness over his aggressive use of tariffs and unhappiness with the war with Iran, which has driven up the price of gasoline.
Oregon Sen. Ron Wyden, the top Democrat on the Senate Finance Committee, said in a statement, “Trump’s desperate, 11th hour attempt to save Susan Collins’ political career is an admission that American voters are rejecting his toxic tariff policies.”
Collins complained that Trump’s levies were hurting Maine farms and businesses that rely on Canadian imports when U.S.-made alternatives are not available. Her office cited the example of Maine wild blueberry growers who need specialized harvesting boxes from Canada that work with their processing equipment.
Sen. Susan Collins speaks to reporters following a campaign stop Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2026, in Lewiston, Maine. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)
