December 12, 2015
Two celebrities with ties to Philadelphia are joining the city's mayor in condemning Donald Trump for his recent proposal to ban Muslims from entering the United States.
Charles Barkley, former Sixers star and current NBA analyst for TNT, said before a Kings game in Sacramento Thursday that fans of the presidential candidate were "losers."
He said those who support him are scared to look in the mirror because "their lives suck," suggesting they place blame on others for their own problems.
Barkley, who once considered running for Governor of Alabama as a Republican, cited Trump's controversial comments about Mexicans and people of the Muslim faith in his assessment of Trump. Here's a portion of what he said, via The Hill:
"Now to lump all Muslims together, that’s even more insulting,” he said. "Do we have to do something about the extremists? Of course we do.
“[But] to try and divide and conquer, which is what the Republicans always try to do, is just sad,” Barkley added. "This is the United States of America. This is the greatest place in the world.”
Philly native Will Smith, who stars in the upcoming film "Concussion," reacted to Trump's comments in an interview set to air on CBS News' "Sunday Morning" and went one step further.
Smith, who has expressed interest in entering politics, said Trump's comments may force him to run for the same job. More from CBS:
"If people keep saying all the crazy kinds of stuff they've been saying on the news lately about walls and Muslims, they're going to force me into the political arena," he said.
And he's not talking mayor or governor. Indeed, he would aim for the top spot. "I mean, I gotta be the President. Come on!" Smith says, adding, "What else would I run for?"
Both Smith and Barkley's comments come after Mayor Michael Nutter called Trump an "a**hole" for his remarks on Muslims.
He delivered that insult during a press conference with local leaders of the Muslim faith after a pig's head was thrown at a Kensington mosque. Trump fired back, calling him a "crude dope."
