President Trump watches NBA Finals game at Madison Square Garden
President Trump attended Game 3 of the NBA Finals at Madison Square Garden. He passed New Yorkers on his way to Madison Square Garden.
The feud between US President Donald Trump and ESPN personality Stephen A. Smith continued on Wednesday, June 10, with both men publicly insulting each other since Trump’s NBA Finals appearance.
President Trump doubled down on criticism of Smith’s rumored political aspirations in an early morning post on his site Truth Social. The president declared Smith an “arrogant idiot” and “stupid as a rock, and even more so, completely unfit to even consider running for high political office!”
Mr. Trump and Mr. Smith initially sparred over Mr. Trump’s appearance at Madison Square Garden for Game 3 of the NBA Finals on Monday. Smith first criticized Trump ahead of Game 3, saying he would blame Trump for the Knicks’ loss because of how the president’s decision to attend the game would disrupt the environment.
“This is a story about an individual who has a really disturbing level of narcissism,” Smith said. “He has no business here tonight. It has nothing to do with politics. It has everything to do with the enthusiasm that exists around the New York Knicks, and he’s disrupting everything that the Knicks are excited about.”
When asked about Smith’s comments by reporters after Game 3, when the Knicks lost to the Spurs, Trump first addressed Smith’s comments.
“I think he’s a good guy, but you have to have certain qualifications to run for president,” Trump said. “You need a high IQ. I don’t know if Stephen has it. I don’t think he really has it.”
Smith fired back Tuesday on ESPN’s “First Take” and podcast, challenging Trump to a one-on-one debate over the president’s “IQ” comment. With patriotic music in the background, Smith told viewers, “Obviously I blame him” for the Knicks’ Game 3 loss.
He also criticized President Trump for the traffic jams around Madison Square Garden, the cancellation of a Knicks game party outside the arena for fans who couldn’t afford tickets to the Finals, and the loss of business in surrounding areas due to security regulations surrounding the president’s visit. Smith also criticized some photos of Trump taken during the game in which he appeared to be falling asleep.
“If it was so important to you to be there, why did you appear to be asleep?” Smith said. “Didn’t you call former President Joe Biden ‘Sleepy Joe’? Well, what should we call him? Because he wasn’t awake.”
“I called them narcissistic and selfish to see them in this position and disrupt the momentum they’ve built,” Smith later added on the podcast. “Why would I do that? Because it’s Donald Trump, that’s why. Because it’s factually correct, that’s why. Because he had no business in the game.”
Smith’s podcast has served as a platform for his political commentary in recent years, separate from ESPN. Although Mr. Smith has been mentioned as a potential presidential candidate, he has not so far run for any political office. President Trump may have taken aim with his latest response Wednesday morning.
“He will be annihilated in a debate between the most incompetent politicians,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “Joe Biden’s now ‘legendary’ performance will look great compared to what this loud-mouthed charlatan is delivering, but that’s not a big deal! In a few weeks they’ll be laughing at him and banning him from politics!!!”
ESPN’s “First Take” was scheduled to begin just hours later. Smith certainly has something to say.
