Let the record show that Charles Barkley doesn’t hold any punches when it comes to political conversations.
The great thing about the “Round Mound of Rebound” is that he’s never been on one side or the other. Even though the former basketball star and current sports personality has voiced his support for the Democratic party in the past, he’s really for one thing and one thing only.
Common sense.
Chuck is a no nonsense type of guy, and he’s voiced that on any and every platform he’s been a part of. And when he sits down with his fellow Inside The NBA co-host Ernie Johnson for The Steam Room podcast, Barkley never shies away from the topic of politics. On the latest episode, Barkley and Johnson welcomed in General Martin Dempsey, who serves as the Chairman of USA Basketball.
At some point, the topic of respecting the United States of America naturally came up. Whether it was athletes donning the stars and stripes during the Olympics, or championship winning teams paying a visit to the White House, General Martin Dempsey pointed out that the U.S. military is non-partisan, and implied that athletes and Americans at large should be as well.
Barkley piggy-backed off that point, saying that he and some friends were recently discussing the trend of sports teams skipping their trips to the White House after winning championships. Chuck argued that it shouldn’t matter who the President is at the time, and that all teams should see it as as an honor:
“I don’t care who the president is. He’s the President of the United States. It’s bothered me, the last 10 years, they’re like, ‘Well, I’m not going because this certain person is president.’ Dude, it’s the President of the United States.”
As I stated earlier, Barkley is traditionally known to lean a little left, and he even admitted during his argument that he doesn’t exactly see eye-to-eye with President Donald Trump. However, Charles suggested that he wouldn’t let those differences stop him from honoring the office that is the President of the United States:
“Even though I disagree with President Trump on some things, if I met him, I would still give him the respect and dignity he deserves. We can disagree, but it bothers me when these teams don’t want to go to the White House.
I’m just disappointed… we got so divided. Where did we get to as a country when we’re like, ‘We’re not going to the White House, we don’t like who’s in there.’ That’s just stupid in my opinion.”
Charles Barkley says teams should still visit the White House and show respect to the president, regardless of who is in office
“I don’t care who the president is. He’s the President of the United States. It’s bothered me, the last 10 years, they’re like, ‘Well, I’m not going… pic.twitter.com/BEhoSYeLcy
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) March 3, 2025
They also pointed out during the episode that the topic had been relevant as of late because their were rumors circulating online that the Philadelphia Eagles would pass on their White House visit. That was later proven to be untrue, as Donald Trump had yet to invite them, and the Eagles clarified that they’d accept once they were invited.
You can hear more from Ernie Johnson, General Martin Dempsey, and the “Chuckster” himself in the latest episode of The Steam Room podcast:
The post Charles Barkley Calls Out Athletes Who Won’t Visit The White House Because Of Donald Trump: “Give Him The Respect & Dignity He Deserves” first appeared on Whiskey Riff.