Stephen A. Smith Defends White House Meeting With Trump

ESPN host Stephen A. Smith defended his October 15 meeting at the White House with President Donald Trump, asserting on ABC's "The View" that he would not apologize for the encounter. Smith was joined at the White House by comedian Bill Maher and musician Kid Rock.

During his appearance on "The View," Smith addressed co-host Sunny Hostin's question about the effectiveness of meeting with Trump, given his history of racial bias. "We'll find out, but he's the president of the United States, and I'll be damned if I'm not going to try," Smith stated. "Whether you like him or not, he's the president of the United States of America. He's not going away until 2028. At least. He's not going away."

Smith argued that many people hold the mentality of not wanting to engage with Trump, but he believes it is important to exhaust all avenues. "And when it comes to getting things done, I'm all about exhausting every means and every measure to try to do what's in the best interest of our community. I'm not apologizing for that to anybody," he said.

Smith also pushed back on the idea of Trump facing impeachment, predicting that Republicans would likely retain control of the Senate. "You'll get folks to impeach him, but then they'll step in and save him, and it will be an ongoing continuous thing," Smith said, expressing frustration with the political process. "He's not going away until 2028."

"The View" co-hosts had previously invited Trump to appear on their show. Co-host Ana Navarro stated on Tuesday that she "would never meet" with the president. Navarro questioned Smith during his appearance about whether he had challenged Trump during their meeting. Smith responded that he had pressed Trump on the war in Iran and added that Maher also questioned the president during their conversation.

Nicholas Fondacaro, an associate editor for NewsBusters, commented on the exchange, suggesting that "The View" hosts often portray Trump as a caricature and are surprised when he engages with individuals who may challenge him. Fondacaro noted that Trump called Smith back after their initial meeting to discuss issues related to Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs).

Kid Rock also spoke about the White House dinner on "Fox & Friends," describing the meeting as "epic." He stated that he, Trump, Maher, and Smith agreed that socialism and communism have no place in the U.S. government. "Two Democrats, two Republicans sit down, break bread, have laughs, talk about, have tough conversations on a lot of the issues," Kid Rock said.