Stephen A. Smith rejects Dan Le Batard labeling him a ‘tool’ for the right: ‘I don’t share your politics’

Stephen A. Smith feuded with Michelle Beadle, Cari Champion, and Jemele Hill. He feuded with Jason Whitlock, Drake Maye and Dave Portnoy. And now it’s Dan Le Batard’s turn.

Smith recently noticed Le Batard weighed in on his public back and forth with Beadle earlier this month. And there were some things Le Batard said that Smith didn’t take kindly to.

After Beadle prayed for Smith’s downfall while criticizing the First Take host for endorsing a Solitaire Cash app owned by the controversial Papaya Gaming, Le Batard claimed a lot of people will share the same sentiment.

“A lot of people are going to enjoy that downfall because a lot of people don’t like the climb and don’t like many of the things that Stephen A. Smith has done,” Le Batard said two weeks ago. “I want to have the larger conversation about everything happening around Stephen A. Smith politically where he’s being used as a very useful tool by the right, but also profiting with great results on all the conquering that he wants to do, but bringing to his doorstep, fights that are much larger than the ones he was having when it was just sports.”

Smith replayed and responded to the clip of Le Batard on a recent episode of Straight Shooter, taking particular offense to the accusation that he’s just a “tool” for the right.

“When you say somebody is a tool, that’s implying that I’m devoid of a moral compass. Or I’m completely oblivious to what’s happening to me,” Smith fired back. “It’s not showing me what I would always show Dan Le Batard and members of his team, a true deference to what it is that they truly feel and respecting it on its merits without attaching an agenda to it or a cloak of ignorance where they’re being utilized to a point that they don’t even know… I’m very aware of what’s going on, I just don’t care as much as you do, Dan Le Batard. I don’t care as much as other people might care because guess what, I don’t feel the way that you feel, and I don’t share your politics.”

Despite preaching that he’s an independent voter for years, Smith has given the appearance of a person who leans more to the right than people may have previously assumed since entering the political realm. And while some of his political opinions and rants have been embraced or touted by the right, it might be unfair to call Smith a tool.

Referring to Smith as a tool implies he’s a mouthpiece for the right, and it dismisses his opinions on the social and political topics he comments on. You can question whether Smith tried to get the attention of too many audiences. You can question whether Smith’s opinions are always well-informed, but you can’t question whether they’re his opinions.

To some people on the left, Smith is a tool for the right. To people on the right, Smith might be a tool for the left. And that’s probably the way Smith likes it. Because say what you want about whether Smith’s content has been good for sports and now political media, he knows what he’s doing in terms of growing his fame and reach.