Controversial S#!T

President Donald Trump is still really mad over the new Nike campaign featuring Colin Kaepernick -- because he's publicly trashing the Swoosh again ... saying the brand is failing just like the NFL.

Trump first blasted Nike during an interview with the Daily Caller -- saying the campaign sends a "terrible message."

Now, Trump's back to Twitter and spitting more venom.

"Just like the NFL, whose ratings have gone WAY DOWN, Nike is getting absolutely killed with anger and boycotts," Trump said.

"I wonder if they had any idea that it would be this way? As far as the NFL is concerned, I just find it hard to watch, and always will, until they stand for the FLAG!"

As far as Trump's claim about boycotts and anger -- seems the ad is being met with just as much praise from influential people like LeBron James, Kevin Durant and even Oakland Raiders owner Mark Davis.

Nike's decision to make its bold deal with Colin Kaepernick was partly a shrewd business move, but sources involved in the negotiation tell TMZ Sports a big part was also cultural.

Our sources say Nike was fully aware there would be outrage by embracing Kaepernick's cause but, on balance, the company knew it would attract way more customers than it would lose. Although the target demos are highly protected by Nike -- industry sources tell TMZ Nike's customer base is "significantly urban" and the company felt the decision would be solidly embraced.

But, beyond demos ... we're told Nike's decision was a long play. Up-and-coming athletes are no longer just shills for corporate America. They increasingly embrace causes and are not afraid to speak out, even at their own expense. In other words, they believe in Colin's mantra, "Believe in something. Even if it means sacrificing everything."

We're told Nike wants to show these athletes it will back their causes, even if it means getting attacked by the President of the United States. The company wants the up-and-comers to feel proud to be associated with the brand.

Serious moment from "Botched" star Dr. Paul Nassif ... who believes Colin Kaepernick should STAND for the national anthem before he's rewarded with endorsements from Nike.

The Bev Hills plastic surgeon -- who's appeared on everything from "Dr. 90210" to 'Real Housewives' -- explained that he seems to be on the same page as President Trump when it comes to the anthem.

"When the Pledge of Allegiance, the songs of this country, anything is played -- we should be standing up. Hand over our hearts. Saluting, if you're in the military ... That's the way I feel about it."

"And, that's what I think everybody should do including all the NFL players."

Nassif added, "So, do I think that Nike should be doing something with him? No, I don't."

Damien Dante Wayans has a job in mind if his acting career ever falls on hard times: working at Trader Joe's.

We got Damien Tuesday at Sunset Plaza in Los Angeles and asked about former 'Cosby Show' star Geoffrey Owens being job shamed for his side gig at Trader Joe's. Damien showed his support and said he's not above bagging groceries or cleaning aisles.

Damien doesn't get people trying to belittle Geoffrey by bashing his TJ's gig ... and describes this generation of haters as being Internet "sick."

Let's be real, there are worse things out-of-work actors could be doing for money, Damien says, like robbing banks.

Damien also joins Tyler Perry on the growing list of celebs offering Geoffrey a role.

How does LeBron James feel about Nike's new deal with Colin Kaepernick?

"I stand with Nike ... every day, all day."

It's a huge statement from the biggest athlete in the world -- as Colin and Nike continue to get blowback from people like country star John Rich, UFC star Tim Kennedy and others who have vowed to boycott Nike.

But Tuesday night, as LeBron accepted the Icon 360 Award at Capitale in NYC ... he ended his remarks with a statement on Nike (though he didn't mention Kaepernick by name).

"Last but not least, I stand for anybody that believes in change. I stand for anybody that believes in a positive attitude and a positive matter ... and I stand with Nike every day, all day."

Of course, LeBron is a Nike athlete who reportedly signed a $1 billion lifetime deal with the company. But, it seems he's genuinely proud of the company.

As for the award, the Icon 360 was presented for Bron's contribution to fashion and philanthropy.

During the ceremony, LeBron also thanked his wife and daughters and said, "I believe African-American women are the most powerful women in the world."

Ex-UFC star Tim Kennedy -- who's also a Green Beret -- says he's boycotting Nike in the wake of their Colin Kaepernick ad ... and says his special forces buddies feel the exact same way.

Kennedy is currently participating at a military school course at Fort Bragg in North Carolina -- where he told us he feels the ad is disrespectful to the flag and to the men and women of the U.S. Armed Forces.

"When I walked into the team room this morning, there were some people who were fuming," Kennedy tells TMZ Sports ... "I'm not gonna speak for them, but there was no one happy about it."

Kennedy's got a huge problem with the words in Colin's Nike ad -- "Believe in something. Even if it means sacrificing everything."

Tim says every member in this special forces team room has lost at least 10 friends who died while serving their country ... and he finds it offensive that Colin would describe what he's been through as "sacrificing everything."

"I'm talking about REAL heroes and I'm surrounded by a bunch of them right now."

Vic Mensa is excited about the future of Chicago now that Mayor Rahm Emanuel has announced he won't be running for re-election ... because he says the guy wasn't fit to lead his home city in the first place.

The Chicago rapper tells TMZ ... Emanuel is a corrupt, dishonest career politician who has always been about power and not the well-being of the people. Vic calls Rahm a "slimy dog" with no morals, no spine ... and no true connection to the city.

Mensa also fires off a list of examples how he feels Emanuel has failed Chitown ... including closing schools and mental health facilities, and the mayor's alleged role in keeping police footage of the shooting of Laquan McDonald from the public.

Vic is hopeful that Emanuel's successor will be someone with roots in the city and the background needed to fully understand the problems that have plagued Chicago ... and do whatever it takes to fix them.

Mensa's love of this city runs deep ... just last week he gave away thousands of free shoes in the Englewood neighborhood in response to cops planting "bait trucks" loaded with sneakers earlier in August in hopes of catching people in the act of stealing.

Asia Argento says Jimmy Bennett -- who had sex with her when he was 17 years old -- is lucky she didn't file charges that HE sexually assaulted and then extorted her.

Argento's lawyer, Mark Jay Heller, tells TMZ, his client's text messages that TMZ posted tell the real story about what went down at the Ritz-Carlton hotel in Marina del Rey, CA. The text in question read, "The horny kid jumped me ... I had sex with him it felt weird." She goes on to say she was "frozen" when he was on top of her.

Heller says, "Asia chose at the time not to prosecute Bennett for sexually attacking her."

As for her statement after the story broke -- "I have never had any sexual relationship with Bennett" -- Heller says she was being honest because it was a one-time only encounter and not a relationship.

Heller goes on to claim Bennett smelled a payday and tried to extort Argento, especially when he found out she was dating Anthony Bourdain. He says Bennett "chose to intrude on that relationship and demand financial payment from Bourdain in consideration for not embarrassing Asia and indirectly Bourdain ..."

Heller says Anthony chose to protect Asia by agreeing to pay $380k even though she did nothing wrong.

And, Heller says, Bourdain paid $250k up to this point, but Argento will not pay the balance.

Heller ends by attacking Bennett, saying, "Asia does not intend to prosecute Bennett for his conduct and recognizes that his unfortunate past, his stalled acting career, and a lawsuit against his own parents for allegedly misappropriating more than a million and a half dollars from his account might explain his desperation to seek money from Asia and Bourdain for this falsely alleged incident that took place more than 5 years ago."

The attack against Bennett is odd ... because Argento has spoken out against shaming alleged victims in sexual assault cases.

Montel Williams can't believe some people have the nerve to shame actors who work non-showbiz gigs between roles.

We got the talk show host Tuesday in NYC and asked about former 'Cosby Show' actor Geoffrey Owens taking heat for working at Trader Joe's ... and Montel didn't hide his disdain for those talking trash behind their keyboards.

Montel says it's a stain on humanity for people to think it's okay to job shame ... and he shares stories of some of the hard work his father went through to make ends meet.

If you're feeling down about your job, don't worry, Montel thinks you're not much different from him.

The Lord didn't send thunder or hail, but maybe a lightning strike at the White House can jolt President Trump onto a righteous path ... because a little shock therapy never hurts.

There's a thunderstorm in the nation's capital and the White House was right smack at the center of it. A bolt found its way to 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.

CNN photographer Khalil Abdallah caught the moment.

There's a storm brewing over Trump's SCOTUS nominee who's getting scorched for snubbing the father of a Parkland shooting victim. Then, there's legendary journalist Bob Woodward's book. The excerpts released Tuesday paint Trump as an egomaniac with "the understanding of a fifth or sixth grader."

Among other claims ... White House chief of staff John Kelly told colleagues Trump's "an idiot. It's pointless to try to convince him of anything. He's gone off the rails. We're in Crazytown."

Kelly's predecessor, Reince Priebus, reportedly called the presidential bedroom where Trump does most of his tweeting as "the devil's workshop." And, according to the book, Trump said of Attorney General Jeff Sessions, "This guy is mentally retarded. He's this dumb Southerner."

Jason Whitlock believes Colin Kaepernick is a "pawn in a game he doesn't understand" ... and the people pulling the strings desperately want to take down the NFL.

The host of FS1's 'Speak for Yourself' appeared on "The Red Pill Podcast" hosted by Van Lathan -- where Whitlock spelled out his theory about what's going on behind the scenes with the QB.

"He's being used by people who want to destroy the NFL," Whitlock explained.

So, who are those "people?" Whitlock says the shadow group is made up of people on the left who believe "the NFL is the head of the snake in terms of toxic masculinity."

"They want to bring the NFL down."

Van respectfully disagreed -- and argued that Colin's intention with his protest was simply to put a spotlight on social injustice in the U.S. and that his actions are not part of a diabolical plot.

Check out the full episode below ...

Alabama's top commit says Colin Kaepernick's Nike ad could actually HELP the Tide roll ... with Pierce Quick telling TMZ Sports some recruits could be swayed even more to the Nike-sponsored program now.

As we previously reported ... Kaep inked a new deal with the Swoosh that features an advertising slogan that reads, "Believe in something. Even if it means sacrificing everything."

It's been met with mixed reviews -- especially from those who opposed Kaep's anthem kneeling when he was in the NFL -- but Pierce tells us 'Bama won't be affected by the negativity at all.

In fact ... the five-star O-lineman tells us if anything -- the ad might bring in EVEN MORE top talent to the school.

"There's some people that might be a HUGE Colin Kaepernick supporter," Pierce says.

"And so now they're like, 'You know what? I want to go to a school that supports Nike, because I want to go to a school that supports Colin Kaepernick.'"

It's great news for 'Bama ... especially if those recruits are anything like Quick -- 'cause dude's a beast.

As for Nick Saban's thoughts on it all ... Quick tells us he knows exactly how the old ball coach will react to the issue when it's brought up among his players.

No surprise here -- Donald Trump doesn't think Nike should "Just Do It" with Colin Kaepernick ... saying the company's new ad campaign sends a "terrible message."

The Prez -- who's vehemently against NFL players who kneel during the National Anthem -- tells the Daily Caller he disagrees with Nike's endorsement. He says ... "I think it's a terrible message that they're sending and the purpose of them doing it, maybe there's a reason for them doing it ... but I think as far as sending a message, I think it's a terrible message and a message that shouldn't be sent. There's no reason for it."

It's interesting, though ... Trump admits Nike is a tenant in one of his NYC buildings, and says it pays him a lot of rent for the NikeTown location -- but adds, the company has the right to align itself with whomever it wants.

He adds ... "It is what this country is all about, that you have certain freedoms to do things that other people think you shouldn't do, but I personally am on a different side of it."

As we've reported, Kaepernick's ad, part of Nike's 30th anniversary of its "Just Do It" campaign -- has sparked major backlash ... including from the National Association of Police Organizations, which is calling for a Nike boycott.

On the flip side, several celebs and athletes have publicly supported the ad ... even Tom Brady.

As you'll recall ... Trump made headlines in September 2017 after saying NFL owners should fire players who kneel for the anthem, referring to them as "sons of bitches."

A year later ... the war rages on.

Nike's deal with Colin Kaepernick isn't about black or white, it's about GREEN ... so says "Shark Tank" star and FUBU founder Daymond John.

The Internet is going crazy over the shoe giant's decision to make Colin the face of its "Just Do It" 30th anniversary campaign, but Daymond says the outrage and applause on either side basically amounts to tons of free advertising for Nike. Despite any controversy, he anticipates the QB's upcoming merch line will spread like wildfire.

There's already been tons of backlash, with one of the country's largest police organizations calling for a boycott of all Nike products, but Daymond believes young and rebellious consumers will spend more than enough on Nike to outweigh potential losses.

Terry Bradshaw took his rivalry with Mike Tomlin to another level Tuesday ... going scorched earth on the Steelers coach, saying he's nowhere near as tough as legendary Pittsburgh head man Chuck Noll.

The two have had a thing for a while now -- Terry says Mike won't even return his phone calls -- but the ex-Steelers QB took his (huge) beef with Tomlin a step further on the “Dan Sileo Show.”

"I played for a tough sucker, and I was afraid of him, and we played our ass off for him because we feared him,” Bradshaw said of when he played for Noll.

"I don’t see that with this guy. He’s chest bumping and all that. I’m the head of the corporation, man. I’m the CEO. I’m the chairman of the board. I’m talking to the stockholders and I'm telling them here’s how we’re gonna do at the end of the quarter."

"And, I’m selling this thing, and I’m not delivering the goods, which is championships. You’ve got to face the criticism. I’m sorry, but he’s not my kind of coach. I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again."

Bradshaw wasn't done there ... 'cause he also ripped Tomlin for the team's shocking loss to the Jaguars at home in the playoffs last season.

"I don’t care how good of a run Jacksonville is on," Bradshaw says.

"I don’t care how Jacksonville played New England in the championship game. You don’t lose 45-42. Are you kidding me? In a championship game?”

Brett Kavanaugh was in no mood to meet a father whose kid was killed during the Parkland shooting -- snubbing his handshake attempt during a SCOTUS confirmation hearing.

Judge Kavanaugh's morning session in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee on Capitol Hill was put on pause Tuesday, and as Trump's pick for the Supreme Court was getting up to leave ... Fred Guttenberg approached him out of nowhere with his hand extended.

He's the father of Jamie Guttenberg, one of the 17 killed earlier this year in the mass shooting at Stoneman Douglas High School. Rather than engage Fred, however, Kavanaugh shot him a confused look and turned away ... refusing to talk to the guy.

Fred addressed the awkward situation on social media, saying Kavanaugh apparently didn't want to "deal with the reality of gun violence." Fred's been incredibly outspoken about enacting more effective gun control in the wake of the shooting.