“They’re Like Your Drunk Friend”: Charles Barkley on Donald Trump’s Townhall Ahead of 2024 Presidential Elections

With the US Presidential elections just nine months away, the political landscape is red-hot in the country. Donald Trump is cruising through the Republican primaries and is likely to win the GOP nomination before November. During a December 2023 Fox News Town Hall, Trump sat down with moderator Sean Hannity to discuss his campaign for 2024. Hannity asked Trump if he were to be elected for a second time as the POTUS whether he would “abuse this power as retribution against anybody?” or assume a dictatorial role. The 45th President’s answer to the question prompted a candid response from Charles Barkley.

“Except for Day 1. This guy, he says, ‘You’re not going to be a dictator, are you? I said, ‘No, no, no — other than Day 1.’ We’re closing the border. And we’re drilling, drilling, drilling. After that, I’m not a dictator,” Trump had declared during the program.

Reacting to these comments, Charles Barkley disapproved of both the tonality and content of Trump’s words. He thought that his cadence was not befitting of a President. In a conversation with CNN’s Gayle King, Barkley blasted both the Presidential candidate and his admirers. He disclosed that he is “not a Trump fan” because of what he perceives as a politics of “retribution.”

The straightforward NBA analyst expressed that a President doesn’t just represent a “small group of nutty people” but everyone in the country. King reminded Barkley that Trump fans would take exception to the “nutty people” charge. “I only call them because they are. They’re crazy. They’re like your drunk friend. Like once your drunk friend is there, nothing you can say to him,” replied Charles Barkley.

 

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As per Barkley, if former President Barack Obama acted like Trump, then people would have remarked that he doesn’t deserve to be in the White House. These statements are huge considering Trump is sweeping the Republican primaries and is likely to be Biden’s competitor for the November elections. 

Charles Barkley has flip-flopped around running for governor

Ever since his playing days in the NBA, Barkley has disclosed his will to run as the governor in his home state of Alabama. However, a run has yet to materialize. Back in 1995, the opinionated personality wanted to run under the banner of the Republican Party for the 1998 governor elections but withdrew. Then, in 2006, the Inside the NBA analyst reiterated his desire to contest for governor in Alabama in the 2010 mid-term elections. He switched his allegiance from Republican to Democrat, but once again, he backed out.

In 2008, he told CNN’s Campbell that he is planning a run in 2014. He termed education central to his governorship and expressed his willingness to work on Public School systems to help fix crime and joblessness. However, he withdrew his run once again, indicating that he is skeptical about his future in politics.