Former NBA star and CNN host Charles Barkley said he would punch any black person he sees wearing former President Donald Trump’s mug shot merchandise, citing recent comments that Trump made at an event aimed at black Republicans.
The comments Barkley took issue with were made by Trump at the Black Conservative Federation Honors Gala in South Carolina last month. During his speech, Trump claimed that he had been told his numerous indictments are why he is gaining support among black voters because they see him “being discriminated against.”
“First of all, if I see a black person walking around with Trump’s mug shot, I’m going to punch him in the face,” Barkley said on his CNN show King Charles on Saturday, drawing laughter from the audience.
Barkley’s co-host, Gayle King, quickly interjected that he was not being serious, to which Barkley claimed that he “sincerely” meant what he said. When asked by King what he would do for getting arrested for punching someone, Barkley responded he would “bail myself out and go celebrate.”
Barkley added that had he been attending Trump’s speech, he would have walked out, since the former president “basically” was comparing his multitude of indictments to everything black people in the United States have endured throughout history. He added that Trump made an unfair comparison in his statement, since “he’s a billionaire” and he is being prosecuted “for stuff he did wrong.”
Trump’s comments at the speech have stirred controversy among many black liberal leaders in the United States, with NAACP President Derrick Johnson saying he was “outraged but not surprised” by the former president’s comment. Jasmine Harris, the Biden-Harris campaign’s black media director, issued a statement herself, criticizing Trump’s “audacity” for speaking to black voters “as if he isn’t the proud poster boy for modern racism.”
The mug shot of Trump was released by Fulton County in Georgia after the former president was indicted and charged with his attempt to overturn the 2020 election results. Since the mug shot’s release, Trump has made millions of dollars selling merchandise of it, including T-shirts, coffee mugs, and even nonfungible tokens.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
The former president’s remarks about his growing support among black voters were made after a poll released in January, which indicated that President Joe Biden’s support among black voters ahead of the 2024 presidential election is decreasing compared to 2020. Biden was also losing the Hispanic vote to Trump in the poll, getting only 34% of recipients compared to Trump’s 39%.
Trump has yet to win the Republican Party’s nomination for its 2024 presidential nominee but has won a majority of the primaries held throughout the U.S. this year.
