Stephen A. Smith 'shocked' after Trump's remark about Obama

[0:00] So you said going into the midterms put you on the ballot. [0:03] I did. [0:05] So how can it not be that you were not on the ballot? [0:06] Well, they didn't do it. They didn't put me on the ballot. [0:08] The people didn't believe in the candidates, perhaps. [0:12] President Trump making the round at the shellacking at the midterms. [0:16] And he's still sounding defiant that the election was not a referendum on his policies or his popularity. [0:22] And listen to what Trump said when Stephen A. Smith asked him about a hypothetical matchup between him and former President Barack Obama. [0:31] I got many more votes than he got. And I got many more votes in the states. [0:36] And I have all the state, you know, most of the state records of the big states. [0:40] If you take a look at Texas, I have the all-time record. Florida, I have the all-time record. [0:45] Are you saying you would beat Obama? [0:47] Yeah, I think I'd beat him easily, yeah. [0:50] Easily? [0:51] I think he's highly overrated. [0:52] I want to bring in the host of the first take on ESPN and straight shooter on Sirius XM, Stephen A. Smith. [1:00] Can we just go right there for a second? [1:02] A second at President Trump saying that President Barack Obama is highly overrated. [1:06] You got to tell me your reaction to that. [1:09] Well, I was shocked that he went that far. [1:12] I wasn't shocked that he said he'd think he'd beat him. [1:14] But I was shocked that he would be so dismissive and disrespectful of Barack Obama. [1:19] I certainly don't think that would happen, to be quite honest with you. [1:22] But, you know, it's one of those things when you talk to President Trump, which obviously I have over the last few weeks, he's just dogged in his belief in himself as always, but also in his discuss with liberals. [1:36] And his mentality is that the Democratic Party is ruining the country. [1:40] And so his thought is Obama is on the left, and he would have to capitulate to those folks on the left. [1:47] It wouldn't be the other way around. [1:49] And as a result, it would make it pretty easy for me to beat him, because all I have to do is point to all the crazy things the crazy left is doing, and that's all it would take. [1:59] That's essentially the attitude of the president right now himself going up against anybody. [2:05] The problem with the midterms was, is that he thought that that mentality could be relatable to all of the other candidates that he was supporting going against folks on the left, and obviously the American people showed him otherwise. [2:18] I mean, candidate quality, which he alludes to at the end of that statement, I mean, has been a very big topic in this midterm cycle. [2:25] You asked the president if he regretted endorsing in the candidates who, I mean, carried a lot of baggage, including people like Ken Paxton in Texas who lost to Tallarico. [2:35] Well, listen, my mentality is out. [2:39] I think Paxton didn't do too well, but I don't think Cornyn would have done any better. [2:42] A lot of them thought if they get my endorsement, they don't have to debate. [2:45] I think getting the endorsement with some hurt them because it didn't hurt them, but they didn't work as hard as they should have worked. [2:54] I want to hear your take on that, because is Trump taking any responsibility for his role in the loss of the GOP separate? [3:00] Zero. [3:01] Okay. [3:02] Finito. [3:03] Zero. [3:03] Zero. [3:04] And not only that, it appeared in the immediate aftermath of the midterm results that he had, you know, some contrition had kicked in to some degree and that he was taking at least a little bit of responsibility. [3:17] But that's not the individual I spoke to this afternoon. [3:19] The individual I spoke to this afternoon, that happened to be the president of the United States, wasn't having any of it. [3:24] It was all about them. [3:25] It was their fault. [3:26] He did what he was supposed to do. [3:27] He told the American people to put him on the ballot. [3:30] In his eyes, they did not do that. [3:32] The candidates weren't that strong, and they didn't perform that admirably, but most importantly, they didn't put in the work. [3:38] And in that regard, one could argue that he had a good point, because we know how much he travels all over this country, particularly when he was campaigning long before he was the president. [3:47] So we know the kind of work that he put in that regard. [3:49] But my issue was, is that a guy like Ken Paxson, and I use the word punk, and I usually don't go that, you know, calling names and all of that other stuff. [3:57] But, Laura, I just have this firm belief, if you are an individual seeking public office, the most insulting thing you can do to the American people is ask for them to elect and select you when you don't even want to show up and debate the opposition. [4:14] You want to hide, but you still want to claim public office. [4:20] Wait a minute. It's public office. [4:22] One of the primary responsibilities you should be willing to do is to be in public and to put yourself on Front Street and say, I'm here. [4:30] This is what I believe. This is what I stand on. Let's go. [4:33] And Ken Paxson, to me, was an utter disgrace. [4:35] Well, even when you put it, putting in the work, even when he did go around to campaign for these individuals, including Ken Paxson, where he was talking badly about him, other candidates, he was, you know, completely mesmerized by their body. [4:49] He talked about things that were not in line with what the American people seem to have said they wanted when the midterm results came in. [4:58] He wasn't talking about the affordability issues. [5:00] He wasn't talking about the war with Iran, which is what his own vice president pointed to as one of the major issues for the midterm losses. [5:07] He was talking about his architectural coups. [5:11] He was talking about the things that are happening that relate only to him, only his legacy. [5:16] Did he address any of those points as to why he had that divide between what they were saying they wanted to hear about and what he was actually talking about? [5:28] Well, listen, again, his whole thing is that it was their fault, not his. [5:31] Well, during that period of time, there was one moment when Trump said that black people were the biggest beneficiary of his work. [5:39] And he spent more than five minutes reading from a list of accomplishments that was three pages long. [5:45] I want you to hear this. [5:46] Did you see me try to interrupt him? [5:47] I did. [5:47] I want to hear you. [5:48] Yes, listen to this. [5:49] A record one-time investment of $438 million to historically black colleges and universities. [5:57] Thanks to President Trump's The Trump Accounts Initiative, 100% of black newborn babies now have exposure to the stock market. [6:05] President Trump secured a tax-free 1,776 warrior dividend, of which the black soldier is a big percentage of our military, got $1,776 as a dividend, 1776, right? [6:21] What went through your mind? [6:24] I know you were trying to interrupt him. [6:26] I mean, who wants to be read to? [6:27] But what went through your mind when he was reading you that list, especially given when you went to the dinner at the White House with Bill Maher, with Kid Rock? [6:36] You talked about how you were there in part because you wanted to talk about what this impact of his policies had been on historically black colleges and universities, on black federal employees, on women in particular as well. [6:50] What was going through your mind? [6:52] Yes. [6:53] Well, listen, what was going through my mind is I just couldn't believe the experience that I was going through at that particular moment in time because we had had this discussion in the White House. [7:01] Obviously, I brought up over 300,000 black women losing their jobs. [7:05] Obviously, he swears up and down that they're excelling and thriving in the private sector. [7:10] I was like, where's the proof of that? [7:12] Because they're telling me there's no truth to that whatsoever. [7:14] He denied that. [7:16] And then I made an executive decision while I was interviewing him, Laura. [7:19] I obviously had other issues that I wanted to get into, even more about HBCUs that I wanted to talk. [7:26] But when he said, I've done a lot for black folks and I have the list right here, I just said, you know what? [7:34] I'm going to do something I never did. [7:36] Go ahead and read that list because I want to hear this. [7:40] And I think every black person in America wants to hear what you swear you have done for black people because I wanted to. [7:48] Now, obviously, I didn't let him go all the way because he had about four or five pages, Laura. [7:52] I only thought it was like two. [7:54] And then he pulled out and he had about four or five pages. [7:57] And I said, no, I can't let him go on that long because I got too many other questions that I want to ask. [8:01] And there's a limited time. [8:03] And you know they're going to come at you when you're flowing and that, all right, he's got to go. [8:06] He's the president of the United States. [8:07] You don't know what call could come in that can stall the interview. [8:10] But I really, really wanted to ask other questions. [8:13] Of course, it's just that when he said specifically, I've done a lot for black people and I have a list, I felt compelled on behalf of the black community to let him spew out some of those things so we can hear everything he swears he has done. [8:31] But you know what? [8:31] He also was prepared because he asked you a question very quickly. [8:34] He asked you directly if you were going to run for president and you said you haven't made up your mind. [8:39] But you said before you're not running. [8:41] Why don't you tell him no? [8:43] Or is there a yes somewhere? [8:45] No, because it's like this. [8:48] I love my job. [8:49] I love my life, et cetera. [8:51] I just want to debate some of these folks so badly. [8:54] I really do, Laura. [8:55] I just really, really do. [8:57] And it's just a shame that FCC regulations, equal time rules, don't allow for it by virtue of what I do for a living. [9:06] I was told that the minute I announce I'm running, I will immediately be pulled off the air, which means I won't be allowed to work, which means I won't be allowed to earn my money. [9:17] And last time I checked, maybe not Trump, who's gone to $3 billion since his return to the presidency, you know, in terms of his own bank account. [9:26] But most politicians on Capitol Hill are looking for the kind of money that I have worked diligently over the course of 30 years to earn. [9:34] And I ain't trying to give that up. [9:35] Well, you know the best moderator in the world would be Laura Coates. [9:39] Stephen A. Smith, nice talking to you, my friend. [9:41] I know that's right. [9:43] Yeah, I know that's right. [9:45] Thank you for coming. [9:46] As Republicans tried to forge a path forward after the midterm losses, there is this one more moment we heard in this podcast with Stephen A. Smith and Trump, and here it is. [9:56] Are you saying you would beat Obama? [9:58] Yeah, I think I'd beat him easily, yeah. [10:01] Easily? [10:01] I think he's highly overrated. [10:07] Old man yells at clouds. [10:10] We all, I always ask people, who's the person that lives rent-free in your head? [10:14] We all have one. [10:15] I think we saw who, everybody's got one. [10:18] We all have one. [10:18] We all have one. [10:19] We don't want to talk about it publicly. [10:20] I love you connecting with that. [10:21] I have a list. [10:23] Barack Obama is still quite popular in polls. [10:25] As it turns out. [10:26] As it turns out. [10:27] He would work Donald Trump like a summer job. [10:29] Let's be very clear about that. [10:30] I also remember Obama, at least in 2008, won Indiana, North Carolina, Virginia, which was back then seen as such a big deal. [10:40] He managed to win a lot of swing states that Ohio, Iowa. [10:43] Yeah, I wonder if this came up because Obama was out on the trail. [10:46] He was the closer in chief. [10:48] And the split screen between him and J.D. Vance, not great for J.D. Vance in the end, given the numbers. [10:56] And so one thing I do think Trump cares about is his legacy. [11:00] And he's very preoccupied with how is his legacy going to stand up next to these other people. [11:05] And Obama's, I think, is still doing well if you look at public polling. [11:09] And this is also just the facet of his—I mean, we could have picked 20 different quotes from various places in the last two weeks [11:14] where he's licking his wounds about how the midterm really wasn't a repudiation of him. [11:19] So this is part of that.