Jason Burgos
Donald Trump has offered up his first public response to ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith’s thoughts that the current President of the United States should not have appeared at Game 3 of the NBA Finals in New York, and was the reason why they lost.
On Monday night, President Trump did something no other sitting US president has ever done. Take in an NBA Finals game in person. The decision to accept the invitation of New York Knicks owner James Dolan drew a lot of frustration before and after the game.
Although New York City is his hometown, there are few supporters of the president among its residents, the most populous city in the country. It also did not help matters that his appearance created major security changes that led to extremely long lines to get into the building on Monday. It also forced watch parties outside the arena to be cancelled.
However, even before the long lines and cancelled watch parties, devoted Knicks fans and ESPN talking head Stephen A. Smith had no interest in Trump being at Game 3.
“This is about an individual engaging in a level of narcissism that really rakes my freakin’ nerves,” Smith said before the game. “He’s got no business here tonight. It has nothing to do with politics. It was everything to do with the fervor that exists around the New York Knicks, and he is disrupting everything the Knicks have been vibing with.”
Donald Trump takes shot at Stephen A. Smith’s IQ to be president
Well, before boarding Air Force One following the Knicks’ Game 3 loss to the San Antonio Spurs, President Trump offered up his first response when asked about Smith claiming he would blame him if New York lost Game 3.
“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 [he] has that. I don’t think he does.”
While the comments may not make much sense in terms of basketball or the Knicks, they were a direct shot at Smith and his aspirations to possibly run for the presidency in 2028. The ESPN host has publicly flirted with the idea over the last couple of years. However, he has also suggested it is unlikely, and recently suggested he would rather be on a debate stage than on a campaign trail.
