Director Spike Lee has responded to US President Donald Trump's claim that his Oscars acceptance speech was a "racist hit", saying he is changing the narrative.
The acclaimed filmmaker won his first competitive Oscar during Sunday night's ceremony for co-writing BlacKkKlansman and issued a political rallying cry while accepting his award.
While he didn't mention Trump by name, Lee wrapped up his speech by urging voters to be "be on the right side of history" and "make the moral choice between love versus hate" at the 2020 presidential election.
The proclamation seems to have ruffled Trump's feathers and he took to Twitter to retaliate, writing: "Be nice if Spike Lee could read his notes, or better yet not have to use notes at all, when doing his racist hit on your President, who has done more for African Americans (Criminal Justice Reform, Lowest Unemployment numbers in History, Tax Cuts,etc.) than almost any other Pres!"
Be nice if Spike Lee could read his notes, or better yet not have to use notes at all, when doing his racist hit on your President, who has done more for African Americans (Criminal Justice Reform, Lowest Unemployment numbers in History, Tax Cuts,etc.) than almost any other Pres!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 25, 2019
When asked by Entertainment Weekly whether he had seen Trump's tweet, Lee nodded and said with a shrug: "Well, it’s okee-doke, you know. They change the narrative."
He continued: "They did the same thing with the African-American players who were kneeling, trying to make it into an anti-American thing, an anti-patriotic thing, and an anti-military thing.
"But no one’s going for that."
Lee's victory in the best adapted screenplay category for BlacKkKlansman was a highlight from Sunday's ceremony. After being announced as the winner, he leapt into the arms of presenter Samuel L Jackson and delivered a rousing speech.
