Some suggest that notably outspoken former NBA star Charles Barkley has gone too far in his comments regarding politically conservative “Black” Americans.
Barkley’s most recent controversial comments included a threat to punch black supporters of former President Donald Trump in the face.
The comments were shared during a CNN interview with Gayle King — the interview aired on Monday.
The former NBA star turned sports commentator was evidently angered by recent comments Trump made about the growing level of support he is receiving from the black community.
The New York Times reported that a high percentage of black voters who voted for Biden in 2020 are planning to support Trump in 2024.
During the interview, Barkley commented on a clip of Trump speaking after his South Carolina primary win that showed many black Americans in the crowd sporting shirts emblazoned with the former president’s mugshot, a fact Trump did not hesitate to mention.
Last summer, Trump was indicted and forced to self-surrender to the court and be processed as a criminal. Though not cuffed, Trump was ordered to pose for a mugshot.
The left celebrated the spectacle, which Trump vowed was part of a politically motivated “witch hunt” and the work of a “weaponized Department of Justice.”
Remarkably, Trump has used his mugshot and his 91-count indictments to rally public support and pull ahead in the polls. Recent surveys project him becoming the GOP presidential nominee and defeating President Joe Biden in a rematch of the 2020 election.
Of his growing support, Trump recently said: “You know who embraced [me] more than anybody else? The Black population. It’s incredible. You see Black people walking around with my mugshot — you know they do shirts.”
The comment angered Barkley, who responded to Trump’s statement during the CNN interview with King by saying, “First of all, I’m just gonna say this: If I see a Black person walking around with a Trump mugshot, I’m gonna punch him in the face.”
"If I see a Black person walking around with a Trump mug shot, I’m gonna punch him in the face." – Charles Barkley pic.twitter.com/g8sbf4AEMy
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) March 4, 2024
King expressed surprise at Barkley’s comment and graciously provided an opportunity for him to clarify his statement. To which the sports commentator said, “Oh, I mean that sincerely!”
Breitbart reported that Barkley then insisted that if he were arrested for assaulting a black Trump supporter, he would “bail myself out and go celebrate.”
Without explaining his thinking, Barkley added: “First of all, if I was at that [conference], I would’ve got up and walked out. That was an insult to all Black people. To compare Black history, where we’ve been discriminated against, to his plight.”
“It’s not a fair comparison,” Barkley railed. “He’s a billionaire, he’s had a great life, he’s been President of the United States. To insult Black people who have been discriminated against all these years and put them in the same category, I was just offended.”
