Charles Barkley Calls Trump Supporters ‘Nutty’ on CNN
Charles Barkley, the former basketball star turned sports commentator and CNN anchor, called former President Donald J. Trump’s supporters “a small group of crazy people” on Wednesday night.
Speaking on “King Charles,” the weekly show he hosts with “CBS Mornings” host Gayle King, Mr. Barkley said he was concerned about Mr. Trump’s refusal to say in a Fox News interview that he would not be a dictator. “except on Day 1” of his presidency.
Mr. Barkley, whose CNN show debuted last week to low ratings, said he worried that Mr. Trump would focus more on retaliation against the media and his political opponents than on the economic concerns of the American public.
“I’m not a big Trump fan. It’s just not me. Because like I said, it’s the President of the United States. It’s not for a small group of crazy people,” Mr. Barkley said.
When pressed that Mr. Trump’s supporters might object to that label, Mr. Barkley doubled down on his comments. “I only call them that because that’s what they are,” he said. ‘They are crazy. They’re like your drunk friend. For example, if your friend is drunk, you can’t say anything to him anymore.’
Mr. Barkley’s comments about Mr. Trump’s political base, which currently makes up a significant portion of the Republican Party, stood out given CNN’s recent efforts to broaden its appeal and court conservative viewers .
Under its previous CEO, Chris Licht, the network focused on including on-air perspectives from analysts and topics from across the political spectrum, including more Republican officials and conservative commentators. Mr. Licht was fired from the network in June and replaced in October by Mark Thompson, the former head of The New York Times and the BBC.
Mr. Barkley has been a sports commentator for more than twenty years and considers himself an independent. He was part of Mr. Licht’s strategy to win over a new audience after years of what many media observers said was intensely critical coverage of the Trump administration led by former CNN Worldwide president Jeff Zucker.
Mr. Barkley, who retired from professional basketball in 2000, had entertained the idea of entering politics — perhaps running for governor of Alabama — but ultimately rejected the prospect.
He has recently criticized both Mr. Trump and President Biden. In October, he said during a streaming program on Max that he didn’t think Mr. Trump “represents a statesman, civility, that kind of thing,” while believing Mr. Biden was too old to run again.
“I don’t have a good feeling about either of them,” said Mr. Barkley.
In the past, widespread criticism of Trump’s supporters has created a firestorm. Near the end of the 2016 election campaign, Hillary Clinton, the Democratic presidential nominee, called many of Trump’s supporters a “basket of deplorables.” Trump and other Republicans used that comment to portray her as someone out of touch with the electorate.
CNN will host two Republican primaries next month, ahead of the Iowa caucuses and the New Hampshire caucuses.
The Trump campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment.