Gregg Popovich Gets Major Backlash After Negative Trump Comments

Here's a portion of that Newsweek article:

When Gregg Popovich speaks about President Donald Trump, people tend to listen—and, indeed, it seems many decide to respond, too.

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Popovich, a 1970 graduate of the Air Force Academy who served five years, has been a frequent critic of the president since he took office in January, describing him as a “soulless coward” and calling “our country an embarrassment to the world.” The San Antonio Spurs coach is not afraid of taking a pop.

He has made clear his belief that Trump is a liar and divisive. Many listeners and readers take the time to write to the 68-year-old, some messages of support and others of criticism. Popovich says he reads everything and tries to respond to them all.

“It takes time because there's a lot of letters,” he said, as quoted by ESPN. “But the only ones I don't respond to are the ones that are so courageous in their negativity that there's no address, just comments. That's hard to respond to. But there are people who have responded and disagreed, and say, 'Why?' And it's erudite and intelligible. [And I'm like], 'Yeah, you've got a point.' Those people deserve to be written back. So, I try. I probably won't get them all, but I try.”

Asked whether he received a negative reaction from supporters on his political opinions, Popovich joked: “Oh, no, no, no. Every single person has agreed with everything I've said. I get flowers. I get trinkets and gifts.” He added: “Just as you would expect: A little bit of both, right? A lot of both.”

Popovich gave an insight into the kind of messages he had received by suggesting that many didn’t have the kind of western beliefs typical of the United States. But Popovich also explained that he was left more with a feeling of hopefulness after reading the letters.