On September 2, the Washington Post published an essay by basketball great, and current author, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Abdul-Jabbar wrote about the difference in the way Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders run their respective campaigns, apparently offending Trump in the process.

Abdul-Jabbar focused on how each candidate handles himself under pressure. He contrasted the way Sanders “showed grace under pressure” when interrupted by Black Lives Matters activists with how Trump resorts to name-calling “as if the definition of lack of intelligence is to not agree with him”. The essay also examines the ways in which Trump is “the biggest enemy to the principles of the Constitution”, highlighting the way Trump deals with the press and his stance on citizenship. As Abdul-Jabbar points out, “attempting to bully the press to silence criticism of him is anti-American”.

Trump responded exactly as predicted. An update to the original story was published later that day, including the full text and an image of Trump’s comments:

Dear Kareem,

Now I know why the press always treated you so badly – they couldn’t stand you. The fact is that you don’t have a clue about life and what has to be done to make America great again!

Best wishes,

Donald Trump

Abdul-Jabbar accurately describes it as “the best, though inelegant, support for my claims”. Trump disagreed with the position of a journalist, and instead of discussing the specific points of disagreement, he responds with schoolyard insults.

A Monmouth University poll released September 3 reveals that Trump is still, somehow, ahead in the polls. The exceptionally rude human being leads with 30%, which is up 4 points since the first debate was held in early August.