Stephen A. Smith Defends Dinner With Trump, Cites Agendas on Unemployment, HBCUs

ESPN host Stephen A. Smith has defended his four-hour dinner with President Donald Trump, which took place on October 15 following an invitation from Bill Maher. Smith stated he used the meeting not for pleasantries, but to address specific issues including unemployment among Black women, the "Protect College Sports Act," and Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs).

Appearing on "The View," Smith explained that he came to the dinner with these three "agendas." He expressed his opposition to the "Protect College Sports Act" as currently structured, arguing it lacks adequate representation for student-athletes. His primary focus, however, was on HBCUs.

Smith asserted that Trump was receptive to his concerns. "To his credit, he said, 'I actually didn't think about that. I'm going to think about that a lot more and I'll be talking to you about it,'" Smith recounted. He added that Trump later called him to reiterate his points on HBCUs, indicating plans to discuss the matter further.

Defending his decision to meet with the president, Smith addressed criticism, including remarks from "The View" co-host Ana Navarro. "There are so many people that have this mentality [of] why even waste time talking to him?" Smith questioned. "Whether you like it or not, he's the president of the United States of America. He's not going away until 2028." Smith emphasized his belief in exhausting all means to advocate for his community's best interests, stating, "I'm not apologizing for that to anybody."

However, "The View" moderator Whoopi Goldberg pushed back, expressing frustration with what she described as a failure to understand certain issues. Navarro also questioned Smith on whether he challenged Trump on controversial topics. Smith responded that he did push back when Trump brought up Venezuela and noted that he frequently criticizes Trump on his SiriusXM show.