ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith finds himself in hot water for articulating baseless opinions concerning politics, race, and Donald Trump. The opinions he voiced are offensive to many, particularly members of the African American community (a community of which he is a member).
Smith is the star of First Take, a popular morning sports talk show.
On April 18, 2024, Smith appeared as a guest on the Fox News Channel and was asked about the ongoing jury trial of former President Donald Trump in New York. Smith falsely/dubiously claimed the trial is the result of political maneuverings by Democrats. Then, he stated African Americans find Trump “relatable” right now because “what he is going through is similar to what” they have historically gone through in the criminal justice system.
Unsurprisingly, these remarks did not go over well.
The NAACP Rebukes Stephen A. Smith
The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) cracked back hard against Smith.
Relatable!?! Show of hands: Anyone in your Black family have 88 felony charges pending, filed for bankruptcy 6x, made an attempt to overthrow a presidential election and our democracy, and still have the ability to fall asleep in court and dream of being POTUS? #BLASPHEMOUS https://t.co/xtG40vpTQ2
— NAACP (@NAACP) April 19, 2024
The Root pulls no punches, stating that Smith “pissed off” members of the African American community and noting that his comments “understandably … drew widespread backlash on social media.”
Smith is aware of the NAACP’s criticism of him, as well as the criticism from other quarters. Smith acknowledged that friends, loved ones, and colleagues are “pretty pissed” about the remarks he made on the Fox News Channel.
Ryan Clark Expresses Disagreement With Smith
Ryan Clark, who was an All-SEC defensive back for LSU and who had a successful twelve-year career in the NFL, also criticized Smith’s remarks.
Clark regularly appears on First Take with Smith. He made the seemingly obvious observation that Trump (who grew up in the upper crust of white privilege) cannot possibly relate to the experiences African Americans have historically endured in dealing with police in the United States.
In an understated fashion, Clark suggested that Smith might be better served sticking to sports than veering into the dicey world of politics.
Let’s take a look at the context in which Smith’s controversial remarks arose.
The Ongoing Trial Against Trump in New York
In the ongoing trial in New York, former President Donald Trump is charged with 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in connection with a conspiracy to corruptly influence the 2016 presidential election.
Per the Washington Post:
“Specifically, prosecutors argue, [Trump] caused the Trump Organization and his personal trust to record payments made to attorney Michael Cohen in 2017 as retainer fees rather than as reimbursements for the $130,000 that Cohen paid to adult-film actress Stormy Daniels before the 2016 presidential election.”
During opening statements in the trial, the prosecutors told the jury:
“This was a planned, coordinated, long-running conspiracy to influence the 2016 election, to help Donald Trump get elected through illegal expenditures, to silence people who had something bad to say about his behavior, using doctored corporate records. It was election fraud, pure and simple.”
Trump and his allies made “hush-money” payments not only to adult film actress Stormy Daniels but also to a Playboy Playmate, Karen McDougal, with whom Trump had an affair.
Trump’s “Catch-and-Kill”/Hush-Money Scheme
In coordination with former allies, Trump executed a scheme to “catch” and “kill” stories about his extramarital relationships that could have hurt him during his 2016 run for the presidency. Those former allies are now testifying against Trump in his ongoing trial in New York.
As reported by Forbes:
“Former National Enquirer publisher [and former Trump friend] David Pecker testified to jurors in Trump’s Manhattan hush money trial this week about how he worked with Trump and his associates to manipulate coverage on Trump’s behalf—admitting … he stifled affair allegations against Trump as part of an informal agreement with his friend in the lead-up to the 2016 election.”
Pecker coordinated with Trump’s former lawyer, Michael Cohen, to pay Playboy model Karen McDougal $150,000 to keep her quiet about an affair she had with Trump. Cohen has since pleaded guilty to a crime in connection with his involvement in the execution of this scheme. Cohen was imprisoned for the crime. As reported by the Washington Post, the execution of this scheme was unlawful because it constituted an impermissible contribution to Trump’s campaign designed to conceal information from the electorate.
In October 2016, just one month before the election, Trump and his confederates executed another catch-and-kill deal. After learning that Daniels was considering the possibility of going public with her story about her relationship with Trump, they reached a deal with her lawyer to pay her $130,000 to keep her quiet. Daniels was represented by the same lawyer as McDougal.
Who Is Karen McDougal? What To Know About The Second Woman Paid Hush Money Over Alleged Affair With Trump. https://t.co/oFgwhvHd09 pic.twitter.com/deQlGvIaHr
— Forbes (@Forbes) April 24, 2024
McDougal and Daniels are both on the witness list of the prosecution in the ongoing trial against Trump in Manhattan.
In light of the facts and circumstances outlined above, it appears that Stephen A. Smith’s remarks on the Fox News Channel were not very well thought out. Unsurprisingly, he is backtracking.
The evidence against the former President appears compelling. Hence, the grand jury’s indictment of him on 34 felony counts. Moreover, the case bears no resemblance to historically dubious prosecutions of African Americans in the United States criminal justice system.
Stephen A. Smith Apologizes
Smith has repeatedly apologized for his remarks and asserted that they were taken out of context.
On Donald Trump and black people outrage pic.twitter.com/PAbhuUdl2U
— Stephen A Smith (@stephenasmith) April 20, 2024
Not all are treating Smith’s apology as authentic. Word in Black characterizes it as a “non-apology”.
Let me explain…one last time pic.twitter.com/6KQ77ALgPk
— Stephen A Smith (@stephenasmith) April 22, 2024
In light of Donald Trump’s History of Making Racist Remarks, Smith’s Apologies Make Good Sense
December 9, 2023; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; ESPN broadcaster Stephen A. Smith before the in-season tournament championship between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Indiana Pacers at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
The NAACP is well aware of Trump’s long record of making racially insensitive remarks.
Trump has repeatedly proclaimed that he is “the least racist person that you’ve ever encountered.” “Trump’s actual record, however, tells a very different story[,]” according to Vox. Indeed, while campaigning for the presidency in 2016,
“Trump repeatedly made explicitly racist and otherwise bigoted remarks, from calling Mexican immigrants criminals and rapists, to proposing a ban on all Muslims entering the US, to suggesting a judge should recuse himself from a case solely because of the judge’s Mexican heritage.”
Vox goes on to point out several other notorious examples of remarks and actions by Trump that are racially insensitive:
In the 1980s, Trump Had African Americans Removed From His Casino When He and His Former Wife Came to the Casino
Kip Brown was an employee at Trump’s Castle in the 1980s. Brown said, “When Donald and Ivana [Trump’s former wife] came to the casino, the bosses would order all the black people off the floor…. It was the eighties, I was a teenager, but I remember it: They put us all in the back.”
The Central Park Jogger Case
“In a controversial case that’s been characterized as a modern-day lynching, four Black teenagers and one Latino teenager — the ‘Central Park Five’ — were accused of attacking and raping a jogger in New York City. Trump immediately took charge in the case, running an ad in local papers demanding, ‘BRING BACK THE DEATH PENALTY. BRING BACK OUR POLICE!’ The teens’ convictions were later vacated after they spent seven to 13 years in prison, and the city paid $41 million in a settlement to the teens. But Trump in October 2016 said he still believes they’re guilty, despite the DNA evidence to the contrary.”
The actual rapist eventually confessed. Notwithstanding that confession, the ironclad DNA evidence, and the State’s settlement, Trump still clings to his counter-factual belief.
The Obama “Birther” Nonsense
Trump also played a pivotal role in pushing falsehoods that former President Barack Obama, who has a white mother and black father, was not born in the United States. Although Obama was born in Hawaii, Trump claimed he was spearheading an investigation into Obama’s birth certificate. “Obama later released his birth certificate, calling Trump a ‘carnival barker.’ … [R]esearch has found a strong correlation between birtherism, as the conspiracy theory is called, and racism. [And,] Trump has reportedly continued pushing this conspiracy theory in private.”
Smith Has Likely Learned to be More Temperate In Remarks Touching on Race and Politics
Given the backlash following his remarks on the Fox News Channel and the resultant need for repeated apologies, Smith has likely learned to dial back his commentary on matters touching on politics and race.
As eloquently observed by Word in Black:
“Perhaps Smith forgot that Trump is not the hero fighting against racial profiling and targeting of Black people but the villain who’s openly encouraging it, who teargassed peaceful Black Lives Matter protesters, threatened to shoot looters on the spot, and encouraged police brutality by telling cops ‘don’t be too nice‘ when making arrests, even though people are supposed to be innocent until proven guilty.”
Related Story: Stephen A. Smith: Former Sportscenter Host Demands ESPN Fires First Take Star After Recent Comments About Donald Trump
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