Stephen A. Smith, the ubiquitous ESPN analyst, continued to curry favor with Donald Trump by parroting one of the president-elect’s favorite talking points in an interview Monday with Chris Cuomo on NewsNation.
Smith, a daily presence on radio, television, YouTube and just about every other means of mass communication, has increasingly added politics to his menu of hot takes. And it’s hard not to notice that many of those takes have been sympathetic to the once-and-future president — especially since Trump scored a decisive victory over Kamala Harris in last month’s election.
Appearing with Cuomo, Smith took issue with President Joe Biden’s rationale for pardoning his son, Hunter, on federal gun and tax charges.
“No reasonable person who looks at the facts of Hunter’s cases can reach any other conclusion than Hunter was singled out only because he is my son – and that is wrong,” Biden said in a statement announcing the pardon. “There has been an effort to break Hunter – who has been five and a half years sober, even in the face of unrelenting attacks and selective prosecution.”
Smith argued the prosecutions against Trump were likewise politicized — amplifying a position MAGA nation embraces as gospel.
“Now, you can make an argument about the legitimacy of the cases against Donald Trump compared to what wasn’t illegitimate, etc. That’s not the point. The point is it was clearly politicized,” Smith said. “You had folks on the left who were hellbent on going after Donald Trump because they were determined to make sure that he couldn’t run for reelection, but these elements would get in the way of him possibly winning reelection.”
Not all of the cases brought against Trump originated out of the Justice Department. Special Counsel Jack Smith indicted Trump for his willful retention of classified documents and his attempt to overturn the 2020 election. Unlike most “political” prosecutions, there was substantial evidence backing up the charges, which have been dropped now that Trump is returning to the Oval Office.
But Stephen A. Smith is not one to let facts get in the way of his agenda.
“And so, for (Biden) to come out and the talk about that. This was a witch hunt, when clearly it could be argued that’s exactly what you were doing to Donald Trump,” he said. “What you assisted in doing seems beyond hypocritical, and that was what disgusted me. It wasn’t his decision. It wasn’t him pardoning his son. It was the weak, pathetic explanation that he gave, which has most critics just shaking their heads and raising their eyebrows, saying, ‘What nerve you have.’”
Some of Smith’s followers on X took note of his political metamorphosis.
“Which team are you playing for? Whichever is winning?” remarked one.
Others were even more forthright:
“You can’t be serious. Stop embarrassing yourself to stay relevant with certain audiences. You are a clown,” said one commenter.
Added another, “It’s so sad to see how money has turned Stephen A into the biggest Uncle Tom. He becomes more and more like Jason Whitlock every day.”
Smith, a frequent guest on “Hannity” and other Fox News programs, has been cozying up to the right for years. In April he drew widespread criticism when he compared Donald Trump’s legal troubles to those faced by Black Americans.
“Black folks find (Trump) relatable because of what he is going through is similar to what Black Americans have gone through, he wasn’t lying,” said Smith, whose non-apology apology was likewise lambasted. “He was telling the truth.”
Appearing recently on comedian Bill Maher’s podcast, “Club Random,” Smith spoke off his relationship with Trump, claiming the real estate tycoon called him in 2014 to discuss his attempt to purchase the Buffalo Bills.
“He called me in 2014. This is a true story. He says, ‘Stephen A’ — [he] had a secretary — ‘Mr. Trump is on the line,’ etcetera. [Trump] gets on the line. He says, ‘Stephen A., I’m trying to buy the Buffalo Bills.’ Price tag was $1.4 billion,” Smith recalled.
“He had about $1.1 billion. I was being told he wasn’t gonna get the team. He said, ‘Stephen A., if these motherf—— get in my way’ — talking about the NFL owners — “these motherf—— get in my way, I’m gonna get them all back. I’m gonna run for president.’ That’s what he said!”
Strangely, Smith waited until now to report this little nugget.
“Stick to sports,” wrote another of his followers, echoing an opinion expressed by many on Smith’s X feed.
