Since Donald Trump was elected to the office of the presidency, many prominent figures on the left have vowed to oppose the new Commander-in-Chief. Particularly in the NBA, figures like Pistons Coach Stan Van Gundy and Warriors coach Steve Kerr are doubling down on accusations against the 45th president. Amid the dramatics, Alabama native Charles Barkley is telling fellow Hillary supporters that it’s time for them to change their tune.
During a Thursday night interview on TNT’s “Inside the NBA,” Barkley appeared to (still) be in a state of disbelief over the election results.
“It’s been kind of shell shock to be honest with you, over the past 48 hours with Mr. Trump becoming the President. I was in shock, I’m not gonna lie,” Barkley said. “I was totally surprised at the election results. That being said, we’ve got to move on.”
“I was disappointed that my candidate didn’t win, number one. But like I said, it’s over now, he’s gonna be the President of the United States,” he added. “We have to respect the office, and we have to give him a chance. That’s the bottom line.”
Barkley had been outspoken about his reluctance to support Clinton’s candidacy, at one time acknowledging that the “negatives” surrounding the Democrat nominee made him uncomfortable. Now, he believes that Democrats must rally behind the President Elect, trying their best to give Trump a clean slate.
“You know, somebody always loses an election,” Barkley said. “We’ve been fortunate we won the past couple with President Obama. We didn’t win this one, but like I said, I respect the office of President of the United States, and we have to give him a chance. Everything he’s said in the past, that’s water under the bridge. And we have to give him a chance, and we have to support him because he’s the President of the United States of America.”
