President Donald Trump took a flamethrower to ESPN talker Stephen A. Smith’s aspirations to run for president, saying Smith has neither the IQ nor the aptitude to be president of the United States.
Ahead of Trump’s attendance at Game 3 of the NBA Finals in New York City on Monday, Smith hammered Trump as a “narcissist” for attending the game and ripped Trump for causing a traffic nightmare for New Yorkers because roads would have to be shut down while the president traveled to and from the game.
“This president has no business showing up in New York City. I am dead serious. It is selfish. It is narcissistic. It is ridiculous that he is coming to this game,” Smith said on ESPN’s First Take on Monday morning ahead of the game.
Smith even said that if the Knicks lose the game, which they did, losing to the San Antonio Spurs, it would be Trump’s fault.
After the game, a Fox News reporter asked the president what he thought about Smith’s comments and reminded Trump that Smith has repeatedly toyed with the idea of running for president. And, as he typically does, the president did not hold back, letting Smith have it with both barrels.
“I think he’s a nice guy, but you need a certain aptitude to run for president,” Trump said. “You need a high IQ. I’m not sure that Stephen has that. I don’t think he does, actually.”
Smith, who has admitted to never having voted for a Republican, also has claimed that he is a “centrist,” despite supporting every extremely far-left Democrat and their policy goals. He has also claimed that his self-touted centrism makes him a perfect candidate for president.
On the other hand, he has said he would not want to take a pay cut to become president, given the millions he now makes with ESPN.
In March, Smith claimed that he has decided not to run for president in 2028, saying, “I don’t think I’m running either because I’ve got to give up my money.”
“Let me put the presidential aspirations to bed. If I have to give up my money, it’s not happening,” Smith, who makes nearly $40 million a year, told Sean Hannity during a podcast interview.
But last year, he also said that if he did run, he would easily beat any Republican or Democrat.
“I make of it that citizens, particularly on the left, are desperate, and I mean it when I say it: I think I can beat them all,” Smith told the host of ABC’s The View. “And I have no desire whatsoever to run for office. I am not a politician. I am not qualified, but I know this much. When you consider who is on the other side and how he’s gotten away with saying very little in terms of being coherent and articulating his thoughts clearly and concisely and what have you, this is not something that he’s known to do. Yet and still, he has owned the Republican party since 2015; not only has he won, but the Republican’s constituency has said we don’t want anybody else but him.”
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