Stephen A. Smith says a recent four-hour meeting at the White House with President Donald Trump, Bill Maher and Kid Rock was substantive, respectful and wide-ranging, with Trump addressing everything from Afghanistan and inflation to the national debt and trade with Canada.
Smith said Trump did not avoid difficult questions during the gathering and remained characteristically defiant when challenged.
“Essentially, it amounted to what I consider to be a very substantive evening. We were there for over four hours in the White House, and Donald Trump did not run from any questions. He answered every single question. He was very, very defiant with any criticism that came in his direction, any disagreement.”
Smith described the atmosphere as civil despite political differences among those involved.
“But as Kid Rock went on Fox News on Friday morning and articulated, it was a pleasant meeting. It was respectful. Two Republicans thinking they’re talking to two liberals.”
Smith pushed back on being characterized as a liberal, emphasizing that he identifies differently politically.
“I don’t know why Kid Rock said I’m a liberal. I don’t consider myself a liberal. I would consider myself a conservative. I’m a registered independent. Excuse me. I say that all the time because I don’t trust either side.”
Smith explained that Maher was the reason he attended the meeting and that he had not received a direct invitation from Trump.
“But nevertheless, I was there, and I was definitely talking to Donald Trump and Kid Rock, and Bill Maher did a lot of the talking because it was his meeting. I was Bill Maher’s guest, even though I was at the White House. If he didn’t ask me to come, I wouldn’t have been there because I was never extended a direct invitation from Donald Trump.”
According to Smith, the conversation covered translators in Afghanistan, the economy, inflation, and Trump’s outlook on the country’s financial condition.
“The invitation was given to me from Bill Maher to join him at the White House, and he talked about a lot of different things. Translators in Afghanistan that needed to be rescued and protected. Talked about the economy. Talked about Trump’s relatively dismissive attitude about the economic times that we’re living in, because in Trump’s world, it’s just a bump in the road right now. Everything’s going to be fine.”
Smith then recounted Trump’s repeated assurances that economic concerns, including inflation and the debt, would ultimately be resolved.
“Talk about the economy. Talk about inflation. He says, “Hey, that’s going to get resolved. You said these are the kind of things that happen. We’re $40 trillion in debt. Don’t worry. Don’t worry. Don’t worry. Don’t worry. Just trillions, trillions coming into us, into our country. Just mark my words. Believe me. Believe me. It’s gonna be great. It’s gonna be wonderful. Mark my words. Trillions. What are you talking about? Where’s the proof? You’ll see it. It’s coming. But it’s not here yet. I said it’s coming.”
Smith also described Trump’s argument over trade with Canada.
“Why we got to fight with Canada? They’re robbing us. They’re robbing us. You know, cost us about $95 billion every year dealing with Canada. It’s got to be fair. It’s got to be fair. The other president’s going to do it. I’m going to do it.”
Trump also repeatedly promoted his own presidential record during the discussion, according to Smith.
“You do understand I’m the greatest president in American history, right? I’m the greatest president that ever lived. You do know that, right?”
Smith compared Trump’s ability to answer virtually every issue raised to boxing promoter Don King.
“The closest that I’ve ever been to talking to somebody like that was when I talked to Don King, the famed boxing promoter years ago, nobody had an answer for everything the way that man had an answer for everything. That was Trump.”
Smith said Maher should provide the fullest account of his own portion of the discussion because the meeting centered around Maher’s visit.
“The abundance of things him and Bill Maher talked about is for Bill Maher to discuss. He’d be more accurate and more precise about what he said and what his intent was far better than me about what he had to say. Check out Real Time with HBO tonight. In all likelihood, he’ll touch on it.”
Smith said his own purpose at the White House was to raise concerns affecting Black Americans, particularly economic disparities.
“But I’m going to tell you where, why I was there. My mission is always to look out for my community as best as I possibly can, and when I see our national unemployment average at 4.2% at about 3.7% in the white community, but 7% in the black community, I don’t like that because it lends itself towards the phrase that I religiously use, which is when white folks catch a cold, black folks catch pneumonia.”
He said he brought those concerns directly to Trump.
“It’s always worse for us, and that’s something that I brought up to the president.”
Smith also raised the effects of federal job cuts and the administration’s approach to diversity, equity, and inclusion policies.
“I brought up to the president how federal jobs were eliminated. That, in concert with DEI, even though that should have never been associated with Black people, because white women are the biggest beneficiaries of DEI than any of us, but because of the combination.”
Stephen A Smith confirms that he attended Bill Maher’s recent meeting with Donald Trump at the White House https://t.co/F6cOm652db
— 2Cool2Blog (@2Cool2Blog) October 17, 2026 [1]
Smith’s account portrayed the White House meeting as a lengthy and direct exchange in which Trump defended his economic and trade agenda while Smith used the opportunity to press concerns about unemployment and federal employment affecting Black Americans.