{"id":2612901,"date":"2026-06-10T10:35:01","date_gmt":"2026-06-10T14:35:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/stephen-a-smith-goes-on-espn-challenges-trump-after-president-questioned-his-iq\/"},"modified":"2026-06-10T10:35:56","modified_gmt":"2026-06-10T14:35:56","slug":"stephen-a-smith-goes-on-espn-challenges-trump-after-president-questioned-his-iq","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/stephen-a-smith-goes-on-espn-challenges-trump-after-president-questioned-his-iq\/","title":{"rendered":"Stephen A. Smith Goes on ESPN, Challenges Trump After President Questioned His IQ"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">26<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fstephen-a-smith-goes-on-espn-challenges-trump-after-president-questioned-his-iq%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2612901&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Stephen A. Smith says he didn\u2019t want Donald Trump to attend Game 3 of the NBA Finals, worrying Trump would disrupt the atmosphere at Madison Square Garden. after the Knicks lost (and New York was already favored), a reporter asked Trump how he responded to Smith saying he\u2019d blame Trump for the defeat. Trump replied that Smith is a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/watch-nearly-naked-intruder-interrupts-suzanne-somers-livestream-at-home\/\" title=\"WATCH: \u2018Nearly Naked... Intruder Interrupts Suzanne Somers... Livestream At Home\">nice person<\/a> but questioned his aptitude and IQ for running for president. Smith then rebutted Trump on ESPN\u2019s \u201cFirst Take\u201d the next morning, turning the exchange into another \u201cIQ\u201d challenge and suggesting a public <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/despite-insistence-by-democrat-politicians-and-medical-elites-empirical-evidence-does-not-conclusively-show-that-masks-reduce-the-spread-of-covid\/\" title=\"Despite Insistence by Democrat Politicians and Medical Elites, Empirical Evidence DOES NOT Conclusively Show that Masks Reduce the Spread of COVID\">debate<\/a>-though a presidential debate won\u2019t happen because Trump is <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >ineligible term-wise<\/a>.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><br \/>\n<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC \"-\/\/W3C\/\/DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional\/\/EN\" \"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/TR\/REC-html40\/loose.dtd\"><br \/>\n<?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><html><body><\/p>\n<section> \t\t\t\t<script>console.log(\"ad slot (AC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC2)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC3)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC4)\")<\/script><\/p>\n<p>ESPN\u2019s Stephen A. Smith is not exactly known for being demure, conciliatory or quiet.<\/p>\n<p>So when President Donald Trump took a jab at the outspoken talking head on Monday evening, it was all but assured that Smith would respond.<\/p>\n<p>But even Smith\u2019s staunchest supporters may have noticed something a bit odd about Smith\u2019s on-air rebuttal.<\/p>\n<p>To wit, on Monday, the San Antonio Spurs beat the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden in Game 3 of the NBA Finals, halting a playoff win streak from the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/dcs-election-takeover-is-unconstitutional-and-impractical-leave-it-to-the-states\/\" title=\"DC...s Election Takeover Is Unconstitutional And Impractical \u2013 Leave It To The States\">home team<\/a> and giving San Antonio new life in the series (New York leads 2-1).<\/p>\n<p>In other words, you already know that Knicks fans were ready to blame Trump\u2019s presence at Game 3 (the president is a lifelong Knicks fan) for the home team losing \u2014 including Smith.<\/p>\n<p>In fact, Smith had made it clear before the game that he didn\u2019t want Trump at Game 3, for fear that he could ruin the vibes of a Knicks team that had been firing on all cylinders prior to Monday\u2019s loss.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe\u2019s coming to Game 3 of the Finals, and I don\u2019t want him there,\u201d Smith said on his radio show, per <a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/outkick-sports\/stephen-smith-begs-trump-attend-nba-finals-game-3-msg-dont-want\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Outkick<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt has nothing to do with politics, policy, or anything like that,\u201d Smith explained. \u201cIt has everything to do with him disrupting and contributing at the same time to the chaos that\u2019s going to exist at Madison Square Garden. If it were Barack Obama coming to the Garden, I would say, \u2018Stay home.\u2019 Stay at the White House.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Well, given that the Knicks lost, Trump was naturally asked about Smith\u2019s forewarning on Monday night, after the game.<\/p>\n<p>Take a look at the exchange for yourself:<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-media-max-width=\"560\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Reporter: Stephen A. Smith said he would blame you if the Knicks lost tonight how do you respond<\/p>\n<p>Donald Trump: I think he\u2019s a nice guy but you need a certain aptitude to run for president. You need a high IQ, I don\u2019t really think Stephen A Smith has that<\/p>\n<p>LLLMMFFAAOOOOOOOO <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/8nodMdflUh\">pic.twitter.com\/8nodMdflUh<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Ahmed\/The Ears\/IG: BigBizTheGod \ud83c\uddf8\ud83c\uddf4 (@big_business_) <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/big_business_\/status\/2064206083367883039?\">June 9, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.x.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>\u201cESPN commentator Stephen A. Smith \u2014 who has <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/democrats-worst-nightmare-stephen-smith-says-doors-open-presidential-run\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">talked about running for president<\/a> \u2014 said he would blame you if the Knicks lost the game,\u201d a reporter said. \u201cHow do you respond to that?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think he\u2019s a nice guy,\u201d Trump said. \u201cBut you need a certain aptitude to run for president. You need a high IQ. I\u2019m not sure that Stephen has that. I don\u2019t think he does, actually.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Smith, predictably, responded to Trump\u2019s remarks on Tuesday morning\u2019s episode of \u201cFirst Take,\u201d one of Smith\u2019s flagship shows \u2014 and did so against an oddly presidential backdrop:<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-media-max-width=\"560\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Stephen A Smith responds to Donald Trump calling him a low IQ individual on First Take:<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou wanna talk about IQ, I could say I could put my IQ against yours, I got something even better I could ask you why you been running from me for the past year since I asked you to talk to\u2026 <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/iI1DpLjkRb\">https:\/\/t.co\/iI1DpLjkRb<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/Edon6R1fzF\">pic.twitter.com\/Edon6R1fzF<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Ahmed\/The Ears\/IG: BigBizTheGod \ud83c\uddf8\ud83c\uddf4 (@big_business_) <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/big_business_\/status\/2064368315854659949?\">June 9, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.x.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou want to talk about IQ, I could say I\u2019d put my IQ up against yours any day of the week,\u201d Smith began. \u201cI could go one better. I could ask you why you\u2019ve been running from me the last year, since I wanted to talk to you.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI could ask you to debate me since you think you\u2019re that dude. We can go a myriad of ways with all of this.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Alas, a presidential debate won\u2019t be possible, even should Smith actually run for president, as Trump is termed out.<\/p>\n<p>But a televised debate on ESPN? That might actually draw viewers to the otherwise languishing network.<\/p>\n<div style=\"background-color: #f7f7f7; color: #171717; display: flex;font-size: 16px;font-weight: 600;line-height: 1.5;margin: 24px 0;padding: 18px 20px 18px 30px;text-align: left;\">\n<div style=\"align-self: stretch;border-left: 3px solid #171717;flex-shrink: 0;padding-left: 20px;\"><\/div>\n<p><a style=\"text-decoration: none;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/preferences\/source?q=https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/\">Choose The Western Journal as your preferred source on Google and never miss reporting that defends truth, protects freedom, and advances Western civilization<\/a><\/div>\n<p style=\"border: 1px solid #f5f5f5; padding: 16px;\">Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/advertise-us\/?wj_source=article\">Advertise Today<\/a>.<\/p>\n<div class=\"entry-submit-correction inner-content\">\n<div class=\"correction-form\">\n<form style=\"display: none;\">\n<div class=\"sc-name-field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* Name<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"name\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"sc--field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* <\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<label>* Message<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t<textarea name=\"message\" required><\/textarea> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"required-message\" style=\"display: none; padding-bottom: 15px;\">* All fields are required.<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"submit\" value=\"Submit\" onclick=\"event.preventDefault(); firefly_sc();\"> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"firefly-sc-confirm\" style=\"display: none;\">Success!<\/div>\n<\/p><\/form>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> \t\t<script> \t\t\tfunction firefly_sc() { \t\t\t\tif( typeof window.captchaPublicKey == typeof undefined ){ \t\t\t\t\tconsole.error('window.captchaPublicKey is not defined'); \t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\tgrecaptcha.execute( window.captchaPublicKey, { action: 'submit_correction' } ).then( function( token ) { \t\t\t\t\tvar opts = { \t\t\t\t\t\taction:    'firefly_sc_submit', \t\t\t\t\t\tname:      document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"name\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\t:     document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tmessage:   document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"message\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tpost_id:   firefly_post_id, \t\t\t\t\t\tcap_token: token \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tvar inputs = [ 'name', '', 'message' ];  \t\t\t\t\tfor( var i = 0; i < inputs.length; i++ ) if( ! 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Smith isn\u2019t known for quiet responses-after Trump\u2019s jab, he had to react<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2612902,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Michael-Featured-Image-1148.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[36543,5851,5894,3847],"class_list":["post-2612901","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-cultural-commentary","tag-espn","tag-politics","tag-sports"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Michael-Featured-Image-1148.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2612901","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2612901"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2612901\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2612905,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2612901\/revisions\/2612905"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2612902"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2612901"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2612901"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2612901"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}