CNN anchor Don Lemon has addressed a “nasty, hateful” tweet by US President Donald Trump by calling it “one of the oldest canards of racism” in America.

Lemon was reacting to a lateFriday night statement from the president that called the anchor “the dumbest man on television” before then taking a swipe at basketball superstar LeBron James.

“This president traffics in racism and is fuelled by bullying,” Lemon said on his prime time CNN show, the New York Post reports.

“Referring to African-Americans as dumb is one of the oldest canards of America’s racist past and present — that black people are of inferior intelligence.”

On Friday night, Mr Trump responded to a segment of Lemon interviewing James by insulting their intelligence.

“LeBron James was just interviewed by the dumbest man on television, Don Lemon,” the tweet read. “He made Lebron look smart, which isn’t easy to do. I like Mike!”

During the segment, Lemon and James discussed the opening of a new school in Ohio, and the basketball legend passed on an opportunity to criticise the president.

“Unlike this president who lashes out wildly at anyone who criticises him, LeBron James — in addition to being a brilliant black man, a superstar in his sport, and a hero to his community — is taking the high road, which is exactly where he belongs,” Lemon said on the Monday edition of his show.

Everyone from journalist Dan Rather to Michael Jordan and even first lady Melania Trump came out to support the basketball icon.

TRUMP DITCHED FROM WALK OF FAME?
But there’s more bad news for the US president as the West Hollywood City Council has voted to remove Mr Trump’s star from the Hollywood Walk of Fame weeks after it was destroyed by a man using a pickaxe and a sledgehammer.

The panel unanimously approved a resolution urging the Los Angeles City Council and Hollywood Chamber of Commerce to remove the star, Mayor John Duran announced in a tweet on Monday night.

The council will send a formal letter to Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, the Los Angeles City Council and the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce to consider removing it.

But, according to a statement from the chamber, it’s unlikely it will act.

“The Hollywood Walk of Fame is a registered historic landmark. Once a star has been added to the Walk, it is considered a part of the historic fabric of the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Because of this, we have never removed a star from the Walk,” said Leron Gubler, the organisation’s president and CEO.

Council members John D’Amico and Lindsey Horvath introduced the resolution to remove Mr Trump’s star, which was awarded to him in 2007 for his work on the Miss Universe Pageant, because of his “disturbing treatment of women and other actions that do not meet the shared values of the City of West Hollywood, the region, state, and country”.

“Having a ‘star’ on the Walk of Fame is a privilege that is highly sought after by those in the entertainment industry, allowing Mr Trump to continue to have a star in light of his behaviour towards women, particularly in the #timesup and #metoo movements, should not be acceptable in the Hollywood and entertainment industry communities,” the resolution said.

Because the Walk of Fame, which holds 2500 stars, is the property of the City of Los Angeles, the city has the final decision.

In recent times, Mr Trump’s marker has taken a beating.

A man attacked it with a sledgehammer a month before the 2016 election, and last month a protester took a pickaxe to it.