Charles Barkley Says He's 'Gonna Punch' Black People Who Wear A Certain Trump Item

Charles Barkley said he will punch any Black person wearing a Donald Trump mugshot T-shirt, prompting cohost Gayle King to try to push Barkley into walking back the remark. It didn’t work. (Watch the video below.)

On a Saturday night airing of “King Charles” on CNN, the two watched a clip of Trump bragging about Black supporters who have “embraced” the shirts, which bear Trump’s booking photo in Georgia over his efforts to overturn the 2020 election.

“When you heard that, what did you think?” Gayle asked the basketball Hall of Famer.

“First of all, I’m just going to say this: If I see a Black person walking around with Trump mugshot, I’m gonna punch him in the face,” Barkley replied.

“Charles, you really can’t say that, ’cause, A, you don’t mean that,” King shot back.

“Oh, I mean that sincerely,” he said.

“And then you will be arrested for assault, and then what?” King said, perhaps still hoping for Barkley to withdraw the remark.

“I’m gonna bail myself out and go celebrate,” Barkley responded.

When the studio guests laughed, King told them not to encourage her colleague.

The clip went viral and has been viewed by more than 7 million people.

Barkley then chastised Trump for comparing himself to Black people during that same speech to the Black Conservative Federation’s Honors Gala last month.

In his remarks, Trump suggested that the criminal charges against him, which he called unjust, increased his appeal among Black voters.

“A lot of people said that that’s why the Black people like me, because they’ve been hurt so badly and discriminated against. And they actually viewed me as I’m being discriminated against,” he said, adding later, “I’m being indicted for you, the Black population.”

Barkley, who’s also an analyst on