The war of words between President Donald Trump and Stephen A. Smith just escalated in a massive way.
After Stephen A. recently criticized Trump and continued discussing politics publicly, Trump responded with a brutal statement on social media Tuesday morning, completely unloading on the ESPN personality.
Trump called Smith “an arrogant fool” and a “low IQ individual,” while also mocking any idea of Stephen A. potentially entering politics in the future. The president went even further, saying Smith would get “annihilated in a debate” and “laughed out of politics” within weeks.
The response immediately exploded online because of how personal and direct it was. Trump has gone after athletes, celebrities, and media personalities for years, but this may be one of his harshest public comments about a sports media figure in recent memory.
The tension between the two has been building for months.
Stephen A. has become increasingly vocal politically, appearing on multiple news platforms and discussing national issues far beyond sports. At the same time, Trump has repeatedly shown he pays close attention to major sports personalities, especially those with massive media reach.
And few people in sports media are bigger than Stephen A. Smith right now.
Whether people love him or hate him, Smith dominates headlines almost daily. Between ESPN, podcasts, political commentary, and viral clips, he has become one of the loudest voices in American media. That visibility has also made him a target for critics — and now apparently Trump himself.
The internet reaction was immediate.
Some users sided with Trump and argued Stephen A. talks too much about politics despite being a sports analyst. Others defended Smith, saying the attack only proves how influential he has become nationally.
One thing feels almost guaranteed now: Stephen A. Smith is probably going to respond.
And if history tells us anything, he likely won’t hold back.
