Charles Barkley doesn’t like President Donald Trump, but he has no issue with the United States men’s hockey team celebrating their gold medal win at the White House.
The U.S. men’s hockey team beat Canada to win their first Olympic gold since the 1980 Miracle on Ice. But because we can’t have nice things, what should have been a unifying moment quickly became polarizing after Trump invited the gold medal-winning team to the White House and his State of the Union address. And on the latest episode of Barkley’s Steam Room podcast with Ernie Johnson, he railed against the public for politicizing the men’s hockey team.
“Why do y’all have to mess up everything?” Barkley ranted. “Everything is not Democrat, Republican, conservative or liberal. That’s why we got this divided, screwed up country. Stop it, man. Because the public, they’re idiots, they’re fools. They can’t think for themselves. I know y’all say stuff to trigger them. Y’all say stuff and y’all know they’re going to be fools.”
Ernie Johnson interjected to note the visit became controversial after Trump joked about needing to similarly invite the gold medal-winning U.S. women’s hockey team to avoid being impeached. In the wake of Trump’s degrading joke, many considered the men’s team visiting the White House as a slight against the women.
“We don’t have to fall for stupidity,” Barkley maintained. “These people out here are stupid, they need something to trigger them. Just cause they want us to be stupid, we don’t have to be stupid. He should have invited both teams to the White House. Simple as that. Guys who didn’t want to go, shouldn’t have to explain why they didn’t go.”
Championship teams have visited Trump at the White House without much controversy. Ohio State, the Los Angeles Dodgers, and Philadelphia Eagles all celebrated at the White House last year, and it wasn’t met with the same backlash that the U.S. men’s hockey team just experienced.
But as Johnson noted, Trump botched the invite from the start and put Team USA in an awkward position by insulting the women. Additionally, it’s one thing to visit the White House, but attending Trump’s State of the Union was seen as more political. Trump has repeatedly used sports to ingratiate himself with teams, athletes, and fans. And his detractors viewed inviting the U.S. men’s hockey team to his State of the Union as another sportswashing attempt.
Despite the points of contention, and despite having political differences from Trump, Barkley claims he would have accepted an invitation to the White House, just as the U.S. men’s hockey team did.
“I’m not a Trump guy. But if I got invited to the White House, I would go. I’m not a Trump guy, I want to make that clear. But I respect the office. He’s the president of the United States… it doesn’t have to be a talking point. I don’t have to be un-American. I just wish y’all would stop falling for stupidity.”
Barkley, however, did not visit the White House in 1992, after then President George Bush invited American Olympic athletes to Washington D.C. to celebrate their Olympic performances at the Summer Games in Barcelona.
About Brandon Contes
Brandon Contes is a staff writer for Awful Announcing and The Comeback. He previously helped carve the sports vertical for Mediaite and spent more than three years with Barrett Sports Media. Send tips/comments/complaints to bcontes@thecomeback.com