Charles Barkley said over the weekend he'd punch a black person if he saw them wearing a t-shirt with former President Donald Trump's mugshot.
In a conversation with Gayle King on their "King Charles" show on CNN Saturday, Barkley responded to remarks Trump made last week in South Carolina before winning the state's Republican primary.
Trump said many in the black community have responded positively to his arrest in Georgia and accompanying mug shot merchandise. According to a recent New York Times poll, Trump's support among black voters is up to 23%, a stark increase from the end of his first term in 2020.
"When I did the mug shot in Atlanta, that mug shot is No. 1," Trump said at the Black Conservative Federation's annual Honors Gala. "You know who embraced it more than anyone else? The black population. You see black people walking around with my mug shot. You know, they do shirts."
Barkley responded on CNN, "First of all, I'm just gonna say this: if I see a black person walking around with Trump's mugshot, I'm gonna punch him in the face," the NBA legend said.
When King said that Barkley would get arrested for assault, the former Auburn power-forward said, "I mean that sincerely. I will bail myself out and go celebrate," he said to laughter. "If I was at that conference, I would have got up and walked out. That was an insult to all black people."
Barkley continued, "To compare black history, when we've been discriminated against, to his plight—first of all, he's a billionaire, and they're prosecuting him for stuff he did wrong. … Well, some of the stuff is true. They did storm the Capitol; they did say that the election was stolen. Those aren't lies, Gayle."
"It's not a fair comparison. 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, to put them in the same category," Barkley added, "I was just offended."
To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email caleb.taylor@1819News.com.
Don't miss out! Subscribe to our newsletter and get our top stories every weekday morning.
