Stephen A. Smith isn’t sticking to sports.
Taking to X (formerly Twitter) on Sunday, the First Take host was critical of the media’s coverage of recent comments made by former president Donald Trump. Speaking at a political rally in Ohio over the weekend, Trump made the following comment while discussing the state of the auto industry:
“We’re going to put a 100 percent tariff on every single car that comes across the line. And you’re not going to be able to sell those guys — if I get elected,” Trump said of China building cars in Mexico with the intent of selling them in the United States. “Now, if I don’t get elected, it’s going to be a bloodbath for the whole — that’s gonna be the least of it. It’s going to be a bloodbath for the country. That’ll be the least of it. But they’re not going to sell those cars.”
Trump’s comments were widely criticized, with many accusing the 45th president of endorsing political violence. Retweeting Elon Musk, Smith implied that the media wasn’t applying the proper context to Trump’s comments by failing to mention that he was referring to the auto industry.
“Based purely on this video, if it is accurate, then that would be true,” Smith said in response to Musk’s post stating that “legacy media lies.”
“It seems @realDonaldTrump words were taken out of context…..reading the headlines I’ve read. Fair is Fair!”
Based purely on this video, if it is accurate, then that would be true. It seems @realDonaldTrump words were taken out of context…..reading the headlines I’ve read. Fair is Fair! https://t.co/mq2dnf1Vtf
— Stephen A Smith (@stephenasmith) March 17, 2024
While Trump was discussing the auto industry when making his comments, it’s understandable why him saying “it’s going to be a bloodbath for the country” would receive so much attention, especially considering the aftermath of him losing the 2020 election. It’s also worth noting that Trump later stated at the same rally, “I don’t think you’re going to have another election in this country, if we don’t win this election… certainly not an election that’s meaningful.”
But whether you agree or disagree with Smith that the media was taking the comments out of context, it’s still interesting to see one of ESPN’s biggest stars weigh in on the matter — especially considering his previous willingness to “stick to sports.”
In fact, Smith’s post wasn’t the only time he publicly discussed Trump over the weekend, as he also dedicated a segment of The Stephen A. Smith Show — which he owns and operates — to an op-ed in The Wall Street Journal that was critical of Democrats for exercising “lawfare” against the former host of The Apprentice. Smith agreed with the column’s sentiments, arguing that Democrats should be focused on beating Trump on the campaign trail than the courtroom.
While it may not be on ESPN airwaves, all indications to this point are that Smith will be making his voice heard in the lead up to the 2024 election. It will be interesting to see how often he’s willing to continue to wade into the political waters moving forward, especially with his current ESPN contract coming to an end next year.
About Ben Axelrod
Ben Axelrod is a veteran of the sports media landscape, having most recently worked for NBC's Cleveland affiliate, WKYC. Prior to his time in Cleveland, he covered Ohio State football and the Big Ten for outlets including Cox Media Group, Bleacher Report, Scout and Rivals.