Stephen A. Smith Says Trump Was “Immovable” On Midterm Losses After 40-Minute White House Interview

ESPN commentator Stephen A. Smith offered a behind-the-scenes account of his White House sit-down with President Donald Trump on Thursday’s “Hannity,” saying the president would not shoulder blame for the GOP’s midterm setbacks.

Smith said the two covered a lot of ground in a 40-minute interview, including what he called “devastating” Republican losses. He told Fox News host Sean Hannity that Trump held firm when asked whether he was willing to point the finger at himself.

“We talked about the devastating losses in the midterms and how the GOP essentially got slaughtered,” Smith said. “I asked him, is he willing to point the finger at himself, and he was dogged… he was immovable in that regard.”

Stephen A. Smith on Trump’s Midterm Election Response

Trump repeatedly urged Americans during his midterm push to vote as if he were on the ballot. Smith said the president distanced himself from that message during their conversation.

“He said, ‘I wasn’t on the ballot.’ I said, ‘That makes absolutely no sense, Mr. President. You said, put you on a ballot. That’s what you told the American people to do.’ He said, ‘Well, they didn’t do it.’ I said, ‘Well, what if they did do it and that was the reason you lost,’” Smith recalled.

“He refused to accept that,” Smith continued. “His attitude is that the candidates were not that great. If it were him that was running, this would not have happened. That’s his mentality.”

Smith said he sees the results differently. He argued that the blue wave reflects voter dissatisfaction with Trump’s presidency.

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“I think that he is somebody that is convinced his way is what it is. I just don’t agree with him,” Smith said. “I think the American people made a statement against what they were seeing from him in terms of him not having his eye on the ball and coming across as a bit detached in their eyes.”

Smith added that Trump pushed back when they discussed how the Iran War and tariffs have affected voter sentiment and the economy. Smith later gave his side of the Republican candidates’ performance, saying Trump was “very rigid and immovable in his thinking that it was blown by the people who lost and that the candidates on the Republican side simply were not good enough. It was not about him.”

Trump Press Secretary Rumor: Stephen A. Smith Responds

Smith also addressed speculation that Trump had offered him the job of White House press secretary. He laughed it off.

“That was absolutely hilarious,” Smith said. “Evidently, they don’t know about the life that I live and the kind of affluence that ESPN and Disney have blessed me with.”

“I wouldn’t take that pay cut for almost anything but the presidency,” he continued. “That ain’t happening. Press secretary? Please.”

Stephen A. Smith Warns Democrats About the Progressive Left

Smith, who has criticized both Democrats and Republicans, told Hannity the Democratic Party has a challenge on its hands from its far-left flank.

“I definitely think that right now, the Democrats have a challenge on their hands because clearly there’s a lot of people out there that view the Democratic Party as a divided party,” he said. “Now they will tell you they’re a very big tent and there’s room for everybody, but I think that the progressive left has shown you there isn’t room for everybody.”

“If you’re not willing to capitulate to their desires, their wishes and their ideological beliefs 100%, then they got a problem with you,” he added.

Smith also called out Democrats who have declined interviews and said he was grateful Trump agreed to sit down with him.

“... I give him credit,” Smith said. “I asked a question, and he answered, and he didn’t run from anything.”