Unfortunately for the rest of us, Donald Trump continues to fixate on Stephen A. Smith’s IQ.
The back-and-forth between the president and the First Take host started when Smith publicly urged Trump not to attend Game 3 of the NBA Finals at Madison Square Garden, saying he was worried about the chaos the visit would bring to Midtown Manhattan. The Knicks lost that night with Trump in attendance, and Smith kept his word — he blamed the president.
Trump fired back after the game, telling reporters that while he thought Smith was a “nice guy,” a presidential run required “a high IQ” and he wasn’t sure Smith had it.
Smith responded the next morning on First Take, standing in front of a full-size American flag animation with patriotic music playing, daring Trump to debate him and listing every Knicks player who performed better before the president showed up.
Now, Trump has escalated things further. In a post on Truth Social on Wednesday, the president went significantly further than his initial comments, calling Smith “an arrogant fool” and “a low-IQ individual” and saying he’d be “annihilated in a debate by the most incompetent of politicians.”
“Joe Biden’s now ‘fabled’ performance would look great by comparison to anything that this loudmouth huckster has to offer,” Trump wrote.
Over a year ago, Trump said he would “love” to see Smith run for president, calling him a “smart guy” with great entertainment skills.
“Stephen A.’s a good guy, he’s a smart guy,” Trump said. “I love watching him. He’s got great entertainment skills, which is very important. People watch him. I’ve been pretty good at picking people and picking candidates. And I will tell you, I’d love to see him run.”
Thirteen months and one Knicks loss later, Smith has been added to an island of Trump’s enemies. The ESPN star has already promised more extensive commentary on his own platform, away from the Worldwide Leader, and if Trump’s Truth Social post is any indication, he’ll have plenty to work with.
About Sam Neumann
Since the beginning of 2023, Sam has been a staff writer for Awful Announcing and The Comeback. A 2021 graduate of Temple University, Sam is a Charlotte native, who currently calls Greenville, South Carolina his home. He also has a love/hate relationship with the New York Mets and Jets.