Congressman responds to Barkley’s Trump mugshot comment: ‘Sir Charles won’t be punching this Combat Vet’
A Texas congressman would like a word with Charles Barkley.
The NBA analyst and former Auburn basketball star recently said he would punch any Black person who wears a Donald Trump mugshot shirt.
Congressman Wesley Hunt, a combat veteran, took to social media Tuesday to shed some “context” on the topic at hand, suggesting the former president won’t punch him.
“Charles Barkley fell into the media’s trap by taking a two-hour speech from President Trump out of context,” Hunt posted on “X,” the social media platform formerly known as Twitter.
“One thing I can guarantee is when you see Wesley Hunt sporting “The Mugshot” Sir Charles won’t be punching this Combat Vet in the face.”
During Barkley’s weekly CNN show with Gayle King, Barkley played a clip of Trump saying his mug shot appeals to Black voters.
“The mugshot, we’ve all seen the mugshot, and you know who embraced it more than anybody else?” Trump said. “The Black population. It’s incredible. You see Black people walking around with my mug shot, you know they do shirts.”
“For the record, when things like (Trump’s remarks) get taken out of context and they play clips like that, that’s how nefarious and how deceitful our media is. It’s pretty sad,” Hunt said.
“So, what you don’t know is that sitting over President Trump’s left shoulder during that moment was me,” he continued. “I was sitting right behind him during a two-hour speech that was given in front of over 300 Black conservatives, and if you put that within the context of which he said that, it was absolutely hilarious. No one would have walked out. And, by the way, it was a two-hour speech about policy. About how the Biden administration has destroyed the Black community. About how he wants to restore the prominence of the Black community and get back to a successful place for all Americans.”
Mark Heim is a reporter for The Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @Mark_Heim. He can be heard on “The Opening Kickoff” on WNSP-FM 105.5 FM in Mobile or on the free Sound of Mobile App from 6 to 9 a.m. daily.