ESPN commentator Stephen A. Smith described his recent dinner at the White House with former President Donald Trump, singer Kid Rock, and comedian Bill Maher as a "shocking" experience, primarily due to its unexpected length.
Smith told CNN's Laura Coates that he anticipated the meeting would last about 30 minutes but it stretched into over four hours. "I certainly didn’t expect that amount of time," Smith said. "I knew that we were expecting to have dinner. I knew that we were going to have an opportunity to talk. I give him all the credit in the world because he didn’t run from any questions."
During the extended dinner, Trump reportedly gave his guests a tour of the White House, including the West Wing and the Rose Garden. Smith noted that the Colonnade, which displayed photos of all former presidents except Joe Biden, was pointed out by Trump. When Smith remarked that it was "cruel" for Trump to have replaced Biden's portrait with an autopen, Trump reportedly found it "very funny" and "laughed about it."
Smith also shared his impressions of Trump's confidence regarding the upcoming midterm elections. Despite current poll numbers, Trump expressed certainty that his conservative base would support Republican candidates. "He was saying, ‘I’m going to campaign, I’m going to go all over this country, I’ll do whatever I have to do to help whoever I have to do, because the people love me,’" Smith recalled.
When Smith pointed out Trump's approval ratings were in the 30s, Trump responded by highlighting his 99% approval among Republicans. "So, the people out there that are conservatives … they love me, I love them, they will vote the way that I want them to vote," Trump reportedly said, according to Smith.
Smith mentioned that Maher had expressed doubts during the dinner about whether Trump's confidence would translate into midterm success for Republican candidates, many of whom have already distanced themselves from the former president.