Barkley on Biden-Trump match-up: ‘I don’t feel good about a rematch’

by Olafimihan Oshin - 10/26/23 5:54 PM ET

In this June 24, 2019, file photo, Charles Barkley arrives at the NBA Awards o at the Barker Hangar in Santa Monica, Calif (Photo by Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP, File)

Basketball legend and soon-to-be CNN host Charles Barkley said in an interview that “he doesn’t feel good” about a potential rematch between President Biden and former President Trump in 2024.

During an appearance on CNN’s “Who’s Talking to Chris Wallace,” host Chris Wallace asked Barkley about his current political ideology, even noting past conversations of Barkley running for governor in his home state of Alabama under the Republican ticket.

“Yeah, I consider myself an independent. Because I hate the words Republican, Democratic, conservative and liberal, because I think … you don’t think that way on every subject,” Barkley told Wallace, according to Mediaite.

“So I really thought hard about running for governor. But then I realized, like, I don’t think either one of these parties are really concerned about people,” he added. “And that’s what America is, people. It ain’t a box or a slot. Like hey, we disagree. But I ain’t mad at you.”

When asked about a potential Biden-Trump 2024 rematch, Barkley, who spent the last 23 years as a sports broadcaster for TNT and CBS’s NBA and college basketball coverage, wasn’t enthusiastic about it.

“I don’t feel good about a rematch. Number one, I don’t think President Trump represents a statesman, civility, things like that,” Barkley replied. “And I think President Biden is too old. I don’t feel really good about either one of them.”

Barkley’s remarks comes as Trump, 76, is still seen as the front-runner in the GOP presidential primary field despite the slew of legal battles he faces.

A grand jury in Georgia indicted Trump and 18 others in August on charges tied to efforts to overturn the 2020 election.

Trump, who announced his third presidential campaign last November, has been hit with multiple indictments this year relating to his business dealings, handling of classified documents and actions following the 2020 election.

Biden announced plans earlier this year to run for reelection in 2024 following weeks of speculation.