‘Name the Time and Place’: Stephen A. Smith Hits Back at Trump for Calling Him ‘Low IQ’

ESPN commentator Stephen A. Smith responded to President Donald Trump’s attacks against him on Wednesday, telling the president directly that if he thought “those one-liners gonna work, you got another thing coming.”

Trump and Smith’s feud has dragged on for days after the commentator spoke out against the president attending Game 3 of the NBA Finals at New York’s Madison Square Garden. Trump trashed Smith after the game, doubling down on the attack in a Wednesday morning Truth Social post.

He wrote:

Stephen A. Smith is an arrogant fool, a low IQ individual. In other words, he’s “dumb as a rock,” and totally unqualified to ever think of running for high political office, or even low political office, for that matter! He’d get annihilated in a debate by the most incompetent of politicians. Joe Biden’s now “fabled” performance would look great by comparison to anything that this loudmouth huckster has to offer, which isn’t much! Within a few weeks, they’d laugh him out of politics!!!

Smith hit back at Trump, reminding him of his past remark to Chris Cuomo that he’d “love to see” Smith run for president. He then called out Trump for the hypocrisy of his attack.

“Because I called them out for inconvenience in the momentum that we had built in route to entering game three for the NBA Finals, I’m a fool,” he said. “He actually called me arrogant. You, of all people, will call somebody arrogant? Really, Mr. President? That’s where you’re going?”

Smith repeatedly said that even though “the president wanted to get personal,” he would not, claiming, “I respect the office,” before adding a further reason for his restraint.

“I will not disrespect this man on a personal level. And I have to say this before I go where I’m going. The president said I was a nice guy. I got to tell you something. He’s always been nice to me. The first insult or cruel thing he said about me was in the quote on his post on his Truth Social platform,” he said. “Of all the years that I’ve known Donald Trump, that’s the first mean-spirited thing he’s ever done to me personally.”

Though Smith stated directly that he had no intention or desire to run for office, he took issue with the president’s claim about his performance in a debate. He told Trump to “name the time and place,” launching into a series of debate-like questions he would ask the president.

Those one-liners you threw at Hillary [Clinton] and before that in Republican primaries, whether it was Little Marco [Rubio] or it was Low Energy Jeb [Bush] or anybody of color, [Carly] Fiorina, she’s a four, and all of this other stuff that you were saying or getting on Chris Christie about his weight or whatever, you try that with me. You think those one liners gonna work, you got another thing coming. You did real estate, and you’re a businessman, and obviously you know what you have an idea about what you’re doing, whether people want to like it or not, as the presidency. Debate? I do that every day. Every day. You really, really think being on a stage against me would be comparable to you being on a stage with Joe Biden?

[…]

You really think that would be me, Mr. President? You sure about that? Name the time and place, and I’ll show up. Because you see, Mr. President, I don’t have a record when it comes to issues. You do. I must ask you, sir, is inflation heating up again? I think it is. Didn’t you promise us it wouldn’t? Are gas prices painfully high? I think it is. Didn’t you say you didn’t care? The war in Iran is dragging on over 100 days. Didn’t you say we weren’t in a war before you said we weren’t in a war? Before you said it would be over, before we realized it’s not over. Isn’t the Straight of Hormuz still closed? Aren’t drones still being blown out of the sky because Iran are sending drones to ships to try to go through? Didn’t that stuff happen? How about Russia and Ukraine? Didn’t you say you would end that in a day? Isn’t that still going on?

Smith continued to ask questions, including ones concerning the president’s personal financial gain during his second term, before reminding Trump of the millions of votes New Yorkers cast for him.

“New Yorkers did that for you. What’d you do for them?” he said. “All we really wanted from you was to support the New York Knicks from afar so you could allow New Yorkers to truly enjoy an experience they’ll never get a chance to do in their lifetime. […] And you couldn’t do that for us.”

Watch above via Straight Shooter with Stephen A.

New: The Mediaite One-Sheet "Newsletter of Newsletters"
Your daily summary and analysis of what the many, many media newsletters are saying and reporting. Subscribe now!