ESPN commentator Stephen A. Smith said President Donald Trump refused to accept any personal responsibility for the GOP’s midterm losses during a 40-minute White House interview, and separately cautioned that the Democratic Party is being pulled apart by its progressive wing.
Smith detailed the sit-down Thursday on Fox News’ “Hannity,” describing Trump as “immovable” when pressed on whether the results reflected on him personally.
“We talked about the devastating losses in the midterms and how the GOP essentially got slaughtered,” Smith told Sean Hannity. “I asked him, is he willing to point the finger at himself, and he was dogged… he was immovable in that regard.”
Trump had urged voters throughout the midterm campaign to treat the election as a referendum on him, telling Americans to vote as if he were on the ballot. Smith said Trump distanced himself from that framing when confronted directly.
“He said, ‘I wasn’t on the ballot.’ I said, ‘That makes absolutely no sense, Mr. President. You said, put you on a ballot. That’s what you told the American people to do.’ He said, ‘Well, they didn’t do it.’ I said, ‘Well, what if they did do it and that was the reason you lost,'” Smith recounted.
“He refused to accept that,” Smith continued. “His attitude is that the candidates were not that great. If it were him that was running, this would not have happened. That’s his mentality.”
Smith said he disagrees with that reading of the results, arguing voters were reacting to dissatisfaction with Trump’s presidency itself.
“I think that he is somebody that is convinced his way is what it is. I just don’t agree with him,” Smith said. “I think the American people made a statement against what they were seeing from him in terms of him not having his eye on the ball and coming across as a bit detached in their eyes.”
According to Smith, Trump also pushed back when the conversation turned to how the Iran War and tariffs affected voters’ views of the economy.
Smith also shot down speculation that Trump had floated him for the role of White House press secretary.
“That was absolutely hilarious,” Smith said. “Evidently, they don’t know about the life that I live and the kind of affluence that ESPN and Disney have blessed me with. I wouldn’t take that pay cut for almost anything but the presidency. That ain’t happening. Press secretary? Please.”
A warning for Democrats
Smith, who has criticized figures in both parties, said the Democratic Party is facing an internal reckoning over the influence of its progressive flank.
“I definitely think that right now, the Democrats have a challenge on their hands because clearly there’s a lot of people out there that view the Democratic Party as a divided party,” he said. “Now they will tell you they’re a very big tent and there’s room for everybody, but I think that the progressive left has shown you there isn’t room for everybody.”
“If you’re not willing to capitulate to their desires, their wishes and their ideological beliefs 100%, then they got a problem with you,” Smith added.
He also noted that some Democrats have turned down interview requests, and said he appreciated that Trump agreed to speak with him candidly.
“[Trump] was just very rigid and immovable in his thinking that it was blown by the people who lost and that the candidates on the Republican side simply were not good enough. It was not about him,” Smith said. “I give him credit. I asked a question, and he answered, and he didn’t run from anything.”
