Stephen A. Smith Says He's 'Not Apologizing' for Having a 4-Hour Dinner With Donald Trump: 'I Came There With Three Agendas'

Stephen A. Smith is defending his recent White House dinner with President Donald Trump.

On the Wednesday, October 21, episode of The View, he told the co-hosts, “I’m not apologizing for that to anybody,” after they asked him to explain why he chose to have dinner with the president.

On Thursday, October 15, Smith joined comedian Bill Maher, musician Kid Rock and Trump for dinner at the White House. Smith said he was invited after Maher was told he could bring a guest. Smith accepted because he wanted to speak directly with Trump about issues that concerned him.

“I came there with three agendas. Number one, to address unemployment for Black women in this country,” stated Smith.

He added that he also wanted to discuss the Protect College Sports Act, which he doesn’t support, and that “number one on my list was HBCUs.” Smith said Trump admitted it never occurred to him that many businesses and individuals would be hesitant to make donations to historically Black colleges and universities as a result of his administration’s stance against diversity, equity and inclusion policies.

When the co-hosts referenced Trump’s history, which includes accusations of racial bias in renting his properties, Smith stood by his choice. “He’s the president of the United States, and I’ll be d----- if I’m not going to try,” Smith said.

He added, “He’s not going away until 2028.”

“You’re going to have to deal with him, and when it comes to getting things done, I’m all about exhausting every means and every measure to try to do what’s in the best interest of our community,” Smith said. “I’m not apologizing for that to anybody.”

After co-host Whoopi Goldberg referred to Trump’s treatment of Black Americans, women and Latinos as indefensible, Smith asked the show to extend an invitation to Trump, and the co-hosts indicated they had already attempted to get Trump to appear on the show.

Smith also described a dinner when he disputed Trump’s claims about foreign affairs. “I pushed back when he brought up Venezuela,” Smith said, adding that he reminded Trump that he’d said, “there was going to be no new wars.”

He then imitated Trump’s reply. “‘Don’t you understand? Just wait for it. I’m bringing trillions of dollars into this country. Trillions, trillions.’ I said, ‘Where is it?’ He said, ‘You’ll see. Wait for it. Wait for it,’” Smith recalled.

He added that Trump concluded, “I’m the greatest president who’s ever lived.”

Smith previously said he didn’t expect the dinner to last more than 30 minutes, but the event ultimately lasted over four hours. “It was shocking,” Smith said in a CNN interview, adding that Trump “didn’t run from any questions.” Smith also said he appreciated the chance to sit face to face with Trump, something he hadn’t done in years.

Trump spoke with reporters the next day about his experience at the dinner. “The dinner last night with Kid Rock and Stephen A. and Bill Maher was great,” Trump said.

Kid Rock called the evening “epic,” and he noted that Maher used the opportunity to advocate bringing home Afghan interpreters who assisted U.S. forces.