Donald Trump’s Game 3 appearance at Madison Square Garden ended with a 115-111 Knicks loss, just as ESPN analyst Stephen A. Smith predicted. As the president was boarding his plane to head out of New York and back to the White House, he was asked about Smith’s comments and responded in typical fashion.
“I think he’s a nice guy,” Trump said. “But you need a certain aptitude to run for president. You need a high IQ, I don’t really think Stephen A. Smith has that.”
Trump’s comments undoubtedly triggered reactions across the board.
“This country cooked,” one fan said.
“The reporter asked about basketball. Trump somehow turned it into presidential qualifications in 0.4 seconds,” another fan added.
“@stephenasmith this is how stupid your take was…. You literally got blasted by the president of the United States for your dumbass comments about how he shouldn’t come to the game,” one netizen said.
Several fans noted that Trump’s response gives Stephen A. Smith has plenty of ammunition to create classic “First Take” drama for the foreseeable future.
“Just give him content for next year, nice job man,” one user commented.
“This entire thing has turned into a f*cking circus lmao,” quipped another.
“Stephen A is gonna eat off this for at least a month,” said a third fan.
Some fans took it as an opportunity to take shots at Stephen A. Smith, who hinted several times over the past few years that he would take a run at the presidency in 2028.
“Stephen A gonna bring his mob boss gimmick to first take? Or is that energy only for Jaylen Brown??” one X user asked.
“He’s right. Do you think Stephen A knows anything about foreign f-cking affairs? Lol,” one netizen said.
To which another replied: “To be fair neither does Trump or else he wouldn’t have went to war with Iran.”
“He has turned into a clown,” one disgruntled fan said about the president, who enraged plenty of New Yorkers by attending the game and thus shutting down planned watch parties around Manhattan.
Fans may not have liked Smith’s comments, but ultimately he was right. Trump’s appearance led to the end of the Knicks’ 13-game playoff win streak. And after taking a 2-0 lead in the series, dropping Game 3 has changed the entire tenor of the Eastern Conference Finals. Of course, Trump isn’t to blame for Brunson’s “average” 32-points on 11-for-25 shooting. The point guard took 13 more shots than the next-closest Knicks player, OG Anunoby, who took 12 shots and hit nine of them. But the aura was definitely different in the city as compared to the prior energy of this playoff run.
Smith Went On Rant About Trump Attending NBA Finals At MSG
ESPN’s $100 million man was very vocal about not wanting Trump to attend Game 3 of the NBA Finals.
On Monday, Smith said Trump had “no business” attending the game. Because of the president’s attendance, fans were forced to arrive two hours early to go through “TSA-style security” and a free watch parties were canceled.
Smith didn’t hold back, accusing the president of being “selfish” and “narcissistic,” and said he’d level the same criticism at other presidents.
“If they lose tonight, I’m looking right at him,” Smith said ahead of the game. “I’m saying it, it’s just me. I’m blaming him. I’m blaming the president of the United States of America if the New York Knicks lose this tonight.”
Trump is not expected to be at Game 4, so that’s positive news for Knicks fans. Smith will eventually respond to Trump’s comments, which should produce some solid ratings for his show.
Smith Responds To Donald Trump On ‘First Take’
SAS didn’t waste any time responding to Trump as he appeared on his show with a backdrop of the American Flag and said:
“The NY Knicks lost and obviously I’m blaming him, because the president disrupted our mojo. … The man messed things up,” Smith said.
He later took a shot at how Trump’s presence disrupted traffic, watch parties and anything else good planned for the evening.
“Guess what he was doing during the game, ladies and gentlemen. I didn’t hear him snoring … but the brother wasn’t awake. If it was that important for you to be there, why did you look like you were asleep? Didn’t you call out former President Joe Biden ‘Sleepy Joe’? Well, what should we call you?”
Stephen A. accused Trump of being selfish and using Game 3 for promotion at the expense of New Yorkers who voted for him.
