Stephen A. Smith Trump Dinner: Feud to White House Peace
Four months after Donald Trump called ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith “dumb as a rock,” the stephen a smith trump dinner at the White House turned a bitter public feud into a four-hour conversation that left both sides praising each other.
From “Dumb as a Rock” to “Great”
The bad blood started in June, when Trump attended Game 3 of the NBA Finals at Madison Square Garden — the first sitting president ever to take in a Finals game — and the New York Knicks lost 115-111 to the Spurs. Smith blamed Trump’s presence for disrupting the Knicks, and Trump fired back on Truth Social, calling the ESPN analyst an “arrogant fool” and a “low IQ individual,” adding that Smith was unqualified to ever run for public office.
Fast forward to October 16, and Trump told reporters the Thursday-night dinner had been “great” and “very informative.” “Smart people,” he said. “Stephen A. is great.”
Four Hours at the White House
Smith, appearing on his own show afterward, said the October 15 dinner — which also included comedian Bill Maher and singer Kid Rock — stretched past four hours because the president kept the conversation going. “We can have different opinions, but he deserves to be recognized for his hospitality,” Smith said.
Smith credited Maher with making the evening happen, saying Maher’s phone call was a major reason he accepted the invitation. Trump himself acknowledged the thaw with Maher, telling reporters that the comedian “likes me a lot more than people understand, and I actually like him.”
What Smith Asked Trump
On Fox News, Smith said he used the evening to press Trump on historically Black colleges and universities. He argued that private corporate giving to HBCUs had been curbed because companies feared being targeted over diversity initiatives, and he framed the case in Trump’s own free-market terms. Trump, Smith said, took the point seriously and said he would raise it with his team the following week.
On CNN, Smith also recounted sparring with the president over his standing with voters. Smith said Trump claimed as many as 99% of Republicans approve of him and that Republican voters “will vote the way that I want them to vote” in the midterms — a confidence Smith answered by pointing to polls showing Trump’s popularity in the 30s.
Source: Yahoo Sports