Barkley added that he was 'offended' by former President Trump's comments in South Carolina this past Friday
NBA Hall of Famer Charles Barkley did not like former President Trump's remarks this past week, and he gave a warning to others that might be on the former president's side.
Trump spoke Friday in Columbia, South Carolina, where he said his mugshot and indictments appeal to African-American voters.
"You know who embraced more than anybody else? The Black population," Trump told the crowd. "It’s incredible. You see Black people walking around with my mugshot – you know they do shirts."
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Republican presidential candidate and former President Trump gestures to supporters during an election night watch party at the State Fairgrounds on Feb. 24, 2024 in Columbia, South Carolina. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)
Barkley, sitting down with CNN's Gayle King, took a long sigh before sharing his thoughts.
"First of all, I’m just gonna say this," he began. "If I see a Black person walking around with a Trump mugshot, I’m gonna punch him in the face."
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King quickly tried to shut it down, saying, "You don't mean that." Barkley was quick to retort.
"Oh, I mean that sincerely!" he said.
When King said that Barkley would be arrested if that happened, he did not mind that being a possibility.
Former President Trump speaks at the New York Young Republican Club Gala at Cipriani Wall Street on Dec. 9, 2023 in New York City. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)
"I’m gonna bail myself out and go celebrate," Barkley said, as the crowd laughed.
"First of all, if I was at that [conference], I would’ve got up and walked out," Barkley continued. "That was an insult to all Black people. To compare Black history, where we’ve been discriminated against, to his plight."
Barkley added that he did not think that Trump compared himself to Black people after being arrested and indicted.
Charles Barkley on air before the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament Final Four championship game between the Connecticut Huskies and the San Diego State Aztecs at NRG Stadium on April 3, 2023 in Houston. (Mitchell Layton/Getty Images)
"It’s not a fair comparison," he said. "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."
Scott Thompson is a sports writer for Fox News Digital.
