Watch out, President Trump!
Basketball legend Charles Barkley sarcastically mocked Republican economic theories on Thursday night, saying he would "trickle my fat ass down to the jewelry store" to treat himself to a luxury timepiece rather than use his tax cut windfall to help the poor.
On the TNT show Inside the NBA, Barkley was asked about what presents he received this holiday season—and the wealthy ex–power forward said, "That Republican tax cut" before launching into a blistering critique of "trickle-down economics," the conservative theory that tax cuts for the wealthy stimulate economic growth.
"I'm going to trickle my fat ass down to the jewelry story and get me a new Rolex," he said. "I'm not going to pass it to nobody."
Critics of the Republican tax bill, which President Donald Trump signed into law on Friday morning, say it helps rich people more than it benefits poor and middle-class Americans—and justifies that because the wealthy and corporations will use their savings to create broader economic growth.
"Thank you, Republicans. I know I can always count on y'all to take care of us rich people, the 1 percenters," Barkley said. "Sorry, poor people. I'm hoping for y'all, but y'all don't have no chance."
Of course, if Barkley does buy his luxury watch, there would be some trickle-down benefit to the store where he makes the purchase and to American taxpayers, who will benefit from the sales tax on the Rolex, which ranges in price from $5,700 to $440,000.
But the largest benefit would obviously go to Rolex itself, which is based in Geneva.
It's the second time in as many weeks that Barkley has endeared himself to Democrats. Last week, he condemned Alabama Senate hopeful Roy Moore, who was accused of sexual misconduct with multiple teenage girls.
"We've got to stop looking like idiots to the nation," Barkley said at a rally for Democrat Doug Jones, who narrowly defeated Moore.
Barkley isn't the first wealthy black entertainer to joke that the Republican tax bill is more helpful to people like him than poor and middle-class whites who helped elect Trump last year. This week, standup comedian Dave Chappelle also cast Republican priorities in that context.
"I listened to them say naive, poor-white-people things: 'Man, Donald Trump's gonna go to Washington and he's gonna fight for us,'" Chappelle said in a clip from his new Netflix special. "I'm standing there thinking in my mind, 'You dumb, motherfucker. You. Are. Poor. He's fighting for me.'"
Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
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Josh Saul is a senior writer at Newsweek reporting on crime and courts. He previously worked for the New York ... Read more
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