After his latest Fox News appearance sparked outrage for seemingly defending Donald Trump comparing himself to the plight of Black Americans, Stephen A. Smith apologized.
“I’m fully aware that I’ve been in the news the last few days, paraded all over social media as well, after comments I made on my appearance on Fox News’s Hannity last week, with the one and only Sean Hannity himself,” he said during the most recent episode of The Stephen A. Smith Show podcast. “And I’m fully aware of the outcry that has ensued because of it.
Let me explain…one last time pic.twitter.com/6KQ77ALgPk
— Stephen A Smith (@stephenasmith) April 22, 2024
“A lot of folks in Black America seem pretty pissed at me right now. From friends and loved ones to colleagues, contemporaries and dare I say even the NAACP itself. Quite a few folks were put off, if not flat out offended after my words were interpreted as associating support for Trump from the Black community with all the legal issues he’s facing. For that, I sincerely apologize.
“To be clear, my words were misconstrued. I’m stating right here, for the record that my words were taken out of context. Misrepresenting and depicting me in a way I found every bit as insulting and disrespectful as folks in Black America evidently felt about what they thought I said. But I’ll own it anyway. Because you know, please know that I know, the buck stops with me.”
While Smith ultimately acknowledged he was holding himself accountable for his words, he also made sure to note he felt those words were misconstrued, misrepresented, and taken out of context. During the appearance on Hannity, Smith prefaced his Trump comments by noting it was going to be “the most uncomfortable thing that I’ve ever had to articulate out of my mouth from a political perspective.”
“But I gotta tell you something,” Smith continued to Hannity. “As much as people may have been abhorred by Donald Trump’s statement weeks ago talking about how Black folks, he’s hearing that Black folks find him relatable because of what he is going through is similar to what Black Americans have gone through, he wasn’t lying! He was telling the truth.”
What Trump is “going through” is criminal indictments. And Trump’s controversial statement that Smith appeared to label “the truth,” was when the former president boasted about his criminal indictments, claiming it’s the reason why he’s gaining Black voter support.
“A lot of people said that that’s why the Black people like me, because they have been hurt so badly and discriminated against,” Trump said. “And they actually viewed me as– I’m being discriminated against. It’s been pretty amazing.”
It certainly seemed like Smith saw the above statement where Trump alleged he’s being discriminated against like Black people have, and labeled it “the truth.”
During his apology, Smith proceeded to cite publications and polls that have listed Trump as being ahead of incumbent Joe Biden in the 2024 presidential election. Smith also cited headlines from the Chicago Tribune, Washington Post, New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and others touting Trump gaining Black voter support.
“Why did I say all of that?” Smith asked. “Because I wanted to show you, I didn’t just open my mouth. I read, I listened, and I’ve seen a momentum shift, as we all have. Anywhere I appear, no matter my subjectivity related to what I feel, is still going to be based on facts being presented into the stratosphere. That is who I’ve always been, it is what I will always continue to be.”
But the outrage Smith garnered was never about acknowledging the fact that Trump has gained Black voter support. It was about the fact that it came across as a defense of Trump pushing a racial stereotype. Had Smith only acknowledged Trump’s newfound support of Black voters, there would have been no controversy. But Smith knew what he was about to say was going to cause a stir, which is why he added it might be “the most uncomfortable thing” he’s ever had to articulate.
“I hope everyone can understand and appreciate my intent,” Smith said after his apology. “But just because my intent was harmless, doesn’t mean my words will harm less, and I know that.”