ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith dished on his White House dinner with President Donald J. Trump, recalling the experience during a Friday appearance on Fox News host Sean Hannity’s show.
The host and podcaster recently broke bread with the president along with HBO comic and social critic Bill Maher and ardent Trump supporter Kid Rock, an “epic” get-together in the words of the MAGA rapper.
Stephen A. Smith reveals behind-the-scenes details from his White House dinner with President Trump, Bill Maher, and Kid Rock, praising Trump’s hospitality and sharing a hilarious exchange over Joe Biden’s autopen portrait:
“When we were there, ultimately, he brought us into the Oval Office. We spent some time in there. He took us for a tour of where the new heliport is, where the UFC event was held months ago, showed us the ballroom and the construction that was taking place there, and took us to the West Wing. And you know what? He just seemed to be really appreciative of the history that existed inside the White House over the years. Of course, he showed us the new Rose Garden and how the grass is gone, and they put some hard flooring there so it looked more presentable, which it did. Naturally, he walked us down the colonnade section, where there are pictures of every single president from George Washington up to him, excluding one, which is Joe Biden. And instead of Joe Biden’s face being there, he’s got a picture of an autopen there. I said, ‘Now that’s just cruel. That’s just cruel.’ And he was like, ‘It’s funny, though. It’s funny.’ We sat there, and we could have stayed there for another hour. We didn’t have to run and catch flights to get the hell out of town.”
— Sean Hannity 🇺🇸 (@seanhannity) October 17, 2026
“When we were there, ultimately, he brought us into the Oval Office. We spent some time in there. He took us for a tour of where the new heliport is, where the UFC event was held months ago, showed us the ballroom and the construction that was taking place there, and took us to the West Wing. And you know what?” Smith asked. “He just seemed to be really appreciative of the history that existed inside the White House over the years.
“Of course, he showed us the new Rose Garden and how the grass is gone, and they put some hard flooring there so it looked more presentable, which it did. Naturally, he walked us down the colonnade section, where there are pictures of every single president from George Washington up to him, excluding one, which is Joe Biden,” he continued, describing the mocking portrait of the senile Democrat.
“And instead of Joe Biden’s face being there, he’s got a picture of an autopen there. I said, ‘Now that’s just cruel. That’s just cruel.’ And he was like, ‘It’s funny, though. It’s funny.’ We sat there, and we could have stayed there for another hour,” Smith told Hannity. “We didn’t have to run and catch flights to get the hell out of town.”
Smith devoted Friday’s episode of his “Straight Shooter with Stephen A.” podcast to the dinner with Trump, saying that he “could not have been nicer” or “more hospitable,” but also opining that he was “dismissive” about economic issues while crowning himself as “the greatest President in American history.”
Stephen A. Smith on his White House Dinner with President Trump, Bill Maher, and Kid Rock: “Bill Maher did a lot of the talking because it was his meeting. I was Bill Maher’s guest even though I was at the White House… [Bill Maher] talked about a lot of different things. Translators in Afghanistan that needed to be rescued and protected. Talked about the economy. Talked about Trump’s relatively dismissive attitude about the economic times that we’re living in, because in Trump’s world, it’s just a bump in the road right now. Everything’s going to be fine. Talk about the economy. Talk about inflation. [POTUS] says, ‘Hey, that’s going to get resolved.’”
“We’re $40T in debt, ‘Don’t worry. Don’t worry. Don’t worry. Don’t worry. There’s trillions, trillions coming into us, into our country. Just mark my words. Believe me. Believe me. It’s going to be great. It’s going to be wonderful. Mark my words.’”
“‘What are you talking about? Where’s the proof?’ ‘You’ll see it. It’s coming.’”
President Trump has done what other presidents only talked about. He has brought TRILLIONS of dollars in new investment back to America and turned the country into a manufacturing powerhouse again. Tariffs have GREATLY reduced our reliance on China by forcing companies to build their factories in America.
What liberals don’t understand is that it takes TIME. Factories AREN’T built overnight. In the years ahead, the economy will TAKE OFF and it will be THANKS to 47.
— RedWave Press (@RedWavePress) October 16, 2026
Smith likened Trump to the legendary boxing promoter Don King.
“The closest that I’ve ever been to talking to somebody like that was when I talked to Don King, the famed boxing promoter, years ago,” he said. “Nobody had answers for everything the way that man had an answer for everything. That was Trump.”
The ESPN motormouth has been critical of Trump, including accusing him of being divisive over the president’s take that NBA superstar LeBron James is a racist.
He has also praised the president’s “brilliant politics” and uncanny ability to twist the Democrats into knots.
“At some point in time, we just have to give the man credit. He’s shrewd as hell,” he said on his podcast last year after Trump pardoned disgraced former Texas Democrat congressman Henry Cuellar.
“He is giving the Democratic Party lessons! Lessons! I mean, school is in session on how to manipulate minds and coax folks into thinking along the lines of his way of thinking,” he added.
“It was epic,” Kid Rock said of the dinner. “And the thing that was the greatest, there’s so many points, I could do an hour on it, is that, you know, two Democrats, two Republicans sit down, break bread, have laughs, talk about, have tough conversations on a lot of the issues.”
- DOJ warns California officials who count noncitizen ballots risk prison time - October 17, 2026
- Caught on tape: Dem-backed Senate candidate slams former GOP rival as ‘that b*tch’ - October 17, 2026
- Stephen A. Smith dishes on dining with Trump, who he likens to famed boxing promoter Don King - October 17, 2026
Comment
We have no tolerance for comments containing violence, racism, profanity, vulgarity, doxing, or discourteous behavior. If a comment is spam, instead of replying to it please click the ∨ icon below and to the right of that comment. Thank you for partnering with us to maintain fruitful conversation.