Inside the NBA’s Charles Barkley believes that Donald Trump giving racists the green light to has allowed the president to get away with offensive comments himself.
In a recent episode of The Chris Cuomo Project, Barkley discussed Trump’s treatment of the media. Cuomo asked the NBA Hall of Famer specifically about the incident in which Trump yelled “Quiet, piggy!” when Bloomberg’s White House correspondent Catherine Lucey asked him a question regarding the Epstein files.
“Can you imagine President Obama saying that to a white woman?” Barkley asked. “Call her Miss Piggy? If President Obama called a white woman Miss Piggy, America would be up in arms and be like, ‘Can you believe this dude said that?’”
Charles Barkley on Donald Trump calling a reporter “piggy”
“Can you imagine President Obama saying that to a white woman? Call her Miss Piggy? If President Obama called a white woman Miss Piggy, America would be up in arms and be like, ‘Can you believe this dude said that?”
“I… https://t.co/D12PxUhszC pic.twitter.com/MH5Ll6aShu
— NBABase (@TheNBABase) October 2, 2026
Cuomo asked Barkley why he felt Trump got away with behavior that would be deemed unacceptable for just about any other politician or public figure. For his part, Barkley believes it is because Trump’s vulgarity has paved the way for the general public to follow his lead.
“The one thing that makes me sad, these people out here now, you used to have to be quiet when you were racist. You don’t have to be quiet anymore,” Barkley said. “I think that’s why he’s gotten away with more.
“People who are racist, they feel confident and comfortable being racist. There was a time you used to have to hide it. There were always racists, but they used to be able to hide it. But he’s made it comfortable, and that’s why he’s able to get away with a lot more.”
Barkley said that he still has a ton of respect for the office of the President, but acknowledged that Trump fails to operate with the decency and dignity that should be associated with the world’s most important title.
About Qwame Skinner
Qwame Skinner has loved both writing and sports his entire life. In addition to his sports coverage at Comeback Media, Qwame writes novels, and his debut; The First Casualty, an adult fantasy, is out now.