TNT NBA analyst Charles Barkley went off on what he calls “election deniers” in the Republican Party who, according to Barkley, don’t believe an election is legitimate unless they win.
Barkley appeared on CNN This Morning with hosts Don Lemon, Kaitlan Collins, and Poppy Harlow for an interview that included Kyrie Irving and the midterm election cycle.
The NBA Hall of Famer told the hosts he was glad the election cycle in Arizona – one of three states where Barkley has homes – is over. Specifically, Barkley said that the “election denying” from Republican gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake had “disappointed” him.
“All these election deniers – are they only saying an elections legit if they win?” Barkley asked. “That’s the thing that’s frustrating to me. Are Republicans going to say unless we win that the election was stolen? Is that the motto we’re going to have for the rest of history? If they don’t win an election that it was stolen? And that was the thing that bothered me the most about watching Kari.”
Barkley maintains residences in three states: Arizona, Georgia, and Pennsylvania. All three became the scene of closely fought battles for the senate.
“I’m so glad,” Barkley said of the end of the elections cycle. “Well, of course, we still got the runoff down here in Georgia, but I live in the three craziest states whatsoever, it been crazy for the last six months and I’m so glad it’s over.”
The former Philadelphia 76er then leveled criticism at politicians of both parties, who he claims have “ruined our country” with divisive rhetoric.
“I am disgusted with our politics,” Barkley stated. “These people are elected to try and make things better. The notion that you’ve got to have every Republican vote, every Democratic vote is a flat-out joke! I can walk up to somebody who’s a Democrat or Independent or whatever, we don’t disagree on every subject and these politicians have ruined our country.”