ESPN personality Stephen A. Smith revisited his White House conversation with President Donald Trump during Thursday’s appearance on “Hannity,” where he warned Democrats about the growing influence of the party’s far-left wing.
Smith said their 40-minute discussion covered the Republican Party’s “devastating” midterm defeat. He also said Trump would not accept responsibility for the losses, describing the president as “immovable” when pressed on the issue.
“We talked about the devastating losses in the midterms and how the GOP essentially got slaughtered,” Smith told Fox News host Sean Hannity.
“I asked him, is he willing to point the finger at himself, and he was dogged… he was immovable in that regard,” he added.
Trump had repeatedly urged voters during his midterm campaign appearances to cast their ballots as though he himself were running. But Smith said the president distanced himself from that message when the two spoke Thursday.
“He said, ‘I wasn’t on the ballot.’ I said, ‘That makes absolutely no sense, Mr. President. You said, put you on a ballot. That’s what you told the American people to do.’ He said, ‘Well, they didn’t do it.’ I said, ‘Well, what if they did do it and that was the reason you lost,’” Smith explained.
“He refused to accept that,” Smith continued. “His attitude is that the candidates were not that great. If it were him that was running, this would not have happened. That’s his mentality.”
Smith said he disagreed with Trump’s interpretation of the election results, arguing that the Democratic surge reflected voter frustration with the president’s performance.
“I think that he is somebody that is convinced his way is what it is. I just don’t agree with him,” Smith said.
“I think the American people made a statement against what they were seeing from him in terms of him not having his eye on the ball and coming across as a bit detached in their eyes,” he added.
Smith also told Fox News that Trump challenged his questions about how the Iran War and tariffs may have affected voters and the economy. The ESPN commentator additionally addressed reports that Trump had considered offering him the job of White House press secretary.
“That was absolutely hilarious,” Smith said. “Evidently, they don’t know about the life that I live and the kind of affluence that ESPN and Disney have blessed me with.”
“I wouldn’t take that pay cut for almost anything but the presidency,” he continued. “That ain’t happening. Press secretary? Please.”
Smith, who has criticized both major parties, also argued that Democrats must confront the influence of their progressive wing.
“I definitely think that right now, the Democrats have a challenge on their hands because clearly there’s a lot of people out there that view the Democratic Party as a divided party,” he said. “Now they will tell you they’re a very big tent and there’s room for everybody, but I think that the progressive left has shown you there isn’t room for everybody.”
“If you’re not willing to capitulate to their desires, their wishes and their ideological beliefs 100%, then they got a problem with you,” he added.
Smith criticized Democrats who have refused to appear for interviews while thanking Trump for agreeing to speak with him.
“[Trump] was just very rigid and immovable in his thinking that it was blown by the people who lost and that the candidates on the Republican side simply were not good enough. It was not about him,” Smith said.
“… I give him credit,” he continued. “I asked a question, and he answered, and he didn’t run from anything.”
