It’s no secret that former NBA superstar Charles Barkley isn’t the biggest fan of President Donald Trump. However, while he remains a critic of Trump’s policies, he recently made a surprising admission about him.

This came after the U.S. Men’s and Women’s ice hockey teams won gold in their respective categories at the Winter Olympics in Milan, marking the first time this had ever been achieved. After this, Donald Trump invited the Men’s national team to the White House and his State of the Union address. However, a joke he made while extending the invitation caused all the chaos.

Following this, the women’s team declined their invitation to the Union address, and five players from the men’s team didn’t go either, something Charles Barkley wouldn’t have done if he were in their shoes.

“He should have invited both teams to the White House. Simple as that. Simple as that. Guys who didn’t want to go shouldn’t have to explain why they didn’t go. I’ve said this before. I’m not a Trump guy. But if I got invited to the White House, I would go. I’m not a I’m not a Trump guy. I want to make that clear,” Barkley continued.

“But I respect the office. He’s the president of the United States. But if guys don’t want to go, I understand that, too. It doesn’t have to be a talking point. It doesn’t have to be I don’t have to be un-American. Uh like I I just I just wish y’all would stop falling for stupidity.”

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This stance again isn’t new from Barkley. Last year, when the Philadelphia Eagles accepted the President’s invitation to visit the White House to celebrate their Super Bowl LIX win, and backlash came pouring in, Barkley had asked championship teams not to decline a visit to the White House, regardless of their political opinions.

Before that, Barkley had also criticised the Denver Nuggets for cancelling their trip, even though a scheduling conflict was at the center of their decision. So, for Barkley, the reason doesn’t matter. He believes that as a country, they shouldn’t be “so divided”.

But as Barkley’s co-host, Ernie Johnson, pointed out, the President had put Team U.S.A. in an awkward position from the get-go. On top of that, many felt that while visiting the White House might be a tradition, attending Trump’s State of the Union crossed into politics.

Barkley’s frustration, however, wasn’t limited to the White House debate; he expanded his critique to what he thinks is a broader issue with American fans: a lack of patriotism.

Charles Barkley points out the lack of patriotism of Americans during the Olympics

Charles Barkley wasn’t done after calling out people for criticizing the men’s ice hockey team. Instead, he took it a step further. There has long been a debate about the atmosphere at American sporting events compared to arenas around the world, with many arguing that U.S. fans are less passionate. However, according to Barkley, they are also less patriotic.

“But man, the Olympics are a standalone thing. No doubt. It is.” Barkley said. “I told you, man, when they’re playing that national anthem, and I will tell you something about it, too. I think Americans are the least patriotic people because when those people over there, they all got flags on, they all got their faces painted. They’re really cheering for their country. It’s pretty amazing when you’re actually there.”

However, it shouldn’t come as much of a surprise, given that only 59 percent of Americans feel proud of their country’s performances and participation in the Olympics, as per Ipsos. This is a steep fall from a couple of years ago, when 64 percent of the people shared this opinion.

However, it’s worth noting that it’s the older population that tunes in to watch the events more frequently than the youngsters. This should give you an idea as to why Charles Barkley feels that Americans lack patriotism at global events. It’s because the viewership in the country is taking a massive hit over time, something which, if not fixed, will continue to hamper the growth of sports in the States.