Division exists throughout the country NBA legend Charles Barkley has placed the blame for this on the politicians.
Barkley’s “Inside the NBA” aired Monday on Martin Luther King Day, as he, Ernie Johnson, Shaquille O’Neal and Kenny “The Jet” Smith discussed the importance of the day, which also coincided with the 2011 presidential election. Donald Trump‘s inauguration.
“I wish people were smarter, personally,” Barkley began. “I think these politicians – both parties – both parties are bad. But I think they’ve done a very good job of making us not like each other anymore.”
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College basketball analyst Charles Barkley on air before the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament Final Four championship game. (Mitchell Layton/Getty Images)
Barkley, a former CNN anchor, then gave his response to what America “has become.”
“Racism exists, has always existed and unfortunately always will exist. It’s a disaster. But what America has become is rich people against poor people. And I wish people would understand that politicians are good at making us fight each other. really rich people versus poor people,” Barkley said. “They try to make it about black and white, immigration, homosexuality and all these different things, but what it is is rich people are making people not like each other. And until we address that, we’ll never be successful. “
Charles Barkley celebrates after winning the men’s gold medal game against Yugoslavia at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta on August 3, 1996. (Manny Millan/Sport Illustrated via Getty Images)
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“These politicians have ruined our world, so you have to pick a team,” Barkley added. “And that’s a shame, because I’m not for anyone’s team. I’m for everyone’s team.”
Barkley has said he is “not a fan” of Trump and blamed Democrats for their loss because they were ‘stupid’.
“We still haven’t solved the immigration problem… never addressed inflation. Bringing out all these stupid stars to get the votes, what was that? I love Beyoncé. That won’t make me vote a certain way. You lost because you’re all stupid. Barkley said this shortly after the election on the podcast “The Steam Room” with his “NBA on TNT” co-host Ernie Johnson.
Former Phoenix Suns player Charles Barkley attends Footprint Center in Phoenix on January 21, 2023. (Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports)
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“It’s all our fault that we don’t have a plan. We do not hold concerts or gatherings. People want solutions, they want money in their pockets, they want the border to be safe.”
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