'Charles Barkley supports bloodthirsty war hawk': Chuck's Nikki Haley statement leaves NBA fans aggrieved with his CNN show
Hall of Famer Charles Barkley has never shied away from speaking on political issues in the United States. Whether he's advocating for equal rights, standing up for the LGBT community, the Chuckster rarely ever holds his tongue. Recently, he generated a significant amount of criticism for his endorsement of a US political candidate.
The situation occurred on Thursday, when Charles Barkley, joined by Gayle King on politically-focused news station CNN, hosted a political candidate, Nikki Haley. The candidate served as the Governor of South Carolina from 2011 to 2017, before then spending a year as the US ambassador to the United Nations.
Currently, she is a part of the US Presidential race as a Republican candidate ahead of the upcoming election in November. While the current state of US politics is a volatile one, Charles Barkley recently threw fuel on the fire regarding the situation by giving Haley an endorsement on CNN.
At the same time, Charles Barkley also gave Galey the chance to walk back claims that she felt America was not a racist country. The situation as a whole left fans both confused and outraged, with many taking to social media to share their thoughts.
"Governor, I'm dying to vote for you. I mean that sincerely. I wanna give all my energy and all my heart behind your campaign, but I was upset when you made the reference that you didn't think America had racism. ... Because I because I can say, I'm dying to vote for you, and that that hurt me."
Charles Barkley's past social justice comments and activities
As Nikki Haley stated, she never said that America was a racist country, however, Barkley's co-host Gayle King didn't let her off the hook. King fired back, stating that she heard Haley's comments herself, and showed no indication of letting her walk them back.
While the situation, as previously mentioned, stirred up quite a bit of controversy, it wasn't the first time Barkley had been a part of political news. In the past, he has made headlines for weighing in on social justice issues.
For example, back in 2020, Charles Barkley appeared on CNBC, where he indicated that America needs police and prison reform. At the same time, however, he also explained that he had a problem with the fact that the focus was on which players were kneeling during the national anthem, rather than on real issues.
Last year, while speaking at a celebrity gold outing, Barkley defended the LGBT community, saying:
“If you’re gay, God bless you. If you’re trans, God bless you. And if you have a problem with them — f--- you."
Barkley also defended Bud Light, who came under fire for putting a transgendered person in one of their ads. Although many have criticized Barkley in the past for his social justice takes, the Hall of Famer has shown he won't hesitate from speaking his mind.