ESPN commentator and political free agent Stephen A. Smith didn’t mince words this week when reflecting on a pivotal moment from President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address — and his critique was aimed squarely at Democrats.
Speaking on The Rubin Report, Smith singled out the moment when Trump called on lawmakers to stand if they believed the federal government’s first duty is to protect American citizens rather than prioritize those in the country illegally. The vast majority of Democrats remained seated.
Smith said that was a mistake.
“I absolutely would have stood up,” he said. “You have to anticipate. He’s playing them like a fiddle. He knows they’re not going to stand up. He knows how bad it’s going to make them look. I would have called this bluff, and I would have stood up, and I would have said, ‘You’re damn right.’”
Smith, who has publicly floated the possibility of running for president as a Democrat, framed the moment as both political theater and a messaging failure. In his view, Trump’s phrasing — emphasizing “American citizens” — was strategic and difficult to oppose without appearing out of step with voters.
“When he said ‘American citizens’ and ‘American citizens first,’ first of all, that’s the right thing because it should be American citizens first,” Smith said. He pushed back against critics who labeled the line as racially coded or exclusionary. “How exactly? Because you’re looking out for America?” he asked.
Smith went further, arguing that debates over immigration policy have tangible economic consequences — and that those consequences often hit minority communities hardest.
“When people are coming into this country undocumented, and they’re crossing our borders illegally, it costs us money,” he said, citing strains on public services and job competition as areas of concern.
Drawing on a phrase he has used before, Smith added: “When White folks catch a cold, Black folks catch pneumonia. It’s always worse for us. So, anything that works to the detriment of our country is going to work doubly worse for the Black community.”
Whether his critique resonates widely within the party remains to be seen..
