Stephen A. Smith said he spent more than four hours at a White House dinner with Donald Trump on Thursday, joining Bill Maher and Kid Rock and calling the evening “very substantive.”
On his YouTube show and in TV appearances, Smith described the gathering as long and wide-ranging, saying, “We were there for over four hours in the White House.” The Washington Examiner reported Smith’s line that Trump “did not run from any question” and “answered every single question.”
Smith and Trump discussed policy topics, including HBCU funding, affordability and Black unemployment, according to CNN’s report of Smith’s account. CNN said Smith and the president also spoke about the upcoming midterms during the conversation.
Fox News aired clips of Smith recounting what he told Trump and saying the president appreciated the history of the White House. Fox’s video of Smith on ‘Hannity’ runs through his recollection of the night and his exchange with the president.
Smith framed his participation as a contact with power: he told hosts the meeting was respectful even amid disagreement, and referenced other attendees’ comments — Kid Rock described the gathering as pleasant on Fox, the Washington Examiner reported.
Why it matters: the meeting brought together figures from different media and entertainment backgrounds and put policy questions into a private setting. The New York Times has reported on how White House dinners can shape messaging and optics, and it was listed alongside recent White House social coverage in the site’s reporting of events.
Smith’s account appears in multiple outlets’ coverage of the dinner; he emphasized the length of the visit and the substantive nature of the exchange when speaking to TV hosts and on his own channels.
Sources
- CNN — reported topics Smith said were discussed, including HBCU funding, affordability, Black unemployment rates and the midterms.
- Washington Examiner — provided Smith’s quote that the group was “there for over four hours” and that Trump “did not run from any question.”
- Fox News — video of Smith recounting the White House dinner on ‘Hannity’ and describing what he told the president.
