Melania Trump, the first lady, distanced herself once again from her husband on Saturday, praising the basketball player LeBron James for his work with disadvantaged children hours after President Donald Trump directed a Twitter broadside at the star.

In June, Mrs Trump said she hated seeing children separated from their families at the border – a consequence of a White House crackdown – and she has cut an increasingly independent figure.

The latest incident began on Friday night when James said on CNN that “he would never sit across” from Mr Trump.

His words provoked a late-night riposte from a president, who is known to monitor TV news channel as he fires off tweets.

"Lebron James was just interviewed by the dumbest man on television, Don Lemon," Trump said in an online swipe at a news network he often derides. "He made Lebron look smart, which isn't easy to do."