Charles Barkley Unloads on Dems, Blasts Socialism and Left-Wing Coddling of 'Crooked Immigrants'
Like most celebrities, basketball legend Charles Barkley does not exactly identify with Republicans.
That does not mean, however, that the NBA Hall of Famer endorses the most extreme views on the leftist fringe.
In a recent interview with journalist Chris Cuomo, Barkley blasted Democrats for saying some of the “stupidest s*** I’ve ever heard,” including calls for socialism, abolishing prisons, and refusing to get rid of “crooked immigrants.”
“Listen, I’m an independent who’s voted Democratic most of the time,” Barkley said in a clip from the interview posted to the social media platform X. “You think that I’m gonna get on TV and kill my credibility [by supporting all Democrats]?”
Barkley then took aim at specific left-wing philosophies regarding both economics and justice.
“Some of these people are out here talking about no ICE [Immigration and Customs Enforcement], no prison, using words like socialism,” he added. “Like, no, I don’t believe in that. Wait, wait, no cops? I think that’s some of the stupidest s*** I’ve ever heard. What are we gonna do without cops? What are we gonna do without prisons?”
The basketball legend then reiterated his belief in the foolishness of those ideas. He also acknowledged that they only ever come from one side of the political spectrum.
“Like, I’ve seen some of these politicians, and I’m like, ‘This is the stupidest s*** ever.’ And a lot of them, most of them… have been Democrats,” he continued. “I think that’s some of the stupidest s*** I’ve ever heard.”
Next, Barkley adopted a moderate position on illegal immigration. He criticized ICE, for instance, while at the same time calling for a crackdown on “crooked immigrants.”
“Now, ICE has to do a much better job,” he said. “Much better job. We can’t just let people come across the border. We can’t do that. But ICE has to do a better job. We need immigrants in this country. They’re some of the most amazing, hardworking people in the world. But we need to get rid of the crooked immigrants.”
By “crooked immigrants,” Barkley no doubt meant the thousands of illegal aliens exposed as perpetrators of fraud or responsible for violent criminal behavior.
Finally, the Hall of Famer briefly touched on election integrity.
“You need to have ID when you go vote,” he said.
WARNING: The following clip contains vulgar language that may be offensive to some viewers.
💥 Charles Barkley Says Democrats Are Spewing “Some of the Stupidest Sh*t I’ve Ever Heard”
“Some of these people are out here talking about no ICE, no prisons, using words like socialism. Like no, I don’t believe in that … And we need you need to have ID when you go vote!” pic.twitter.com/MF3HCghL9z
— Chief Nerd (@TheChiefNerd) October 1, 2026
Although Barkley has proven to be no fan of President Donald Trump, the basketball legend has, in recent years, dealt out criticism in roughly equal measure to Republicans and Democrats alike.
For instance, in March, Barkley appeared to take a much stronger pro-immigrant stance than what he shared with Cuomo.
At the same time, however, Barkley has also accused Democrats of using black people as political props.
Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. Advertise Today.
Truth and Accuracy
We are committed to truth and accuracy in all of our journalism. Read our editorial standards.
