President Donald Trump escalated a feud with ESPN personality Stephen A. Smith on Wednesday, lashing out on Truth Social after Smith blamed the president’s attendance at Game 3 of the NBA Finals for disrupting the New York Knicks’ momentum and contributing to their loss.
Trump, a longtime Knicks supporter, attended Monday night’s game at Madison Square Garden between the Knicks and San Antonio Spurs. The Knicks fell 115-111, trimming their series lead to 2-1. Smith, a vocal Knicks fan, criticized the visit on his show and podcast, arguing it caused logistical headaches, displaced fans and hurt the team’s focus during their first NBA Finals appearance in years.
“I’m blaming him. I’m blaming the president of the U.S.,” Smith said, according to reports. He doubled down Tuesday, calling the appearance “selfish” and “disrespectful” to Knicks supporters.
Trump fired back first in comments to reporters and then more forcefully on Truth Social.
In the post, he called Smith “an arrogant fool, a low IQ individual” and “dumb as a rock,” adding that Smith is “totally unqualified to ever think of running for high political office, or even low political office, for that matter.”
“He’d get annihilated in a debate by the most incompetent of politicians. Joe Biden’s now ‘fabled’ performance would look great by comparison to anything that this loudmouth huckster has to offer,” Trump wrote.
The president had earlier told reporters he viewed Smith as “a nice guy” but questioned whether he had the “high IQ” needed for politics.
Smith responded to the attacks without backing down. He challenged Trump to a debate or IQ test on ESPN, framing the exchange as typical for the president while standing by his criticism of the Game 3 disruption.
“That is his right, ladies and gentlemen. I’m not offended by that whatsoever,” Smith said in one clip circulating on social media. “I said what I said … He clapped back.”
The back-and-forth has turned into a high-profile sports-politics spectacle, overshadowing Game 4 preparations. Trump is not expected to attend Wednesday night’s contest.
The exchange ignited immediate and polarized reactions across X, reflecting the nation’s deep partisan and sports divides. Many Trump supporters praised the president’s response as classic and unfiltered.
- Conservative accounts and outlets like Newsmax and the New York Post amplified Trump’s post, with headlines framing Smith as overstepping.
- Users echoed Trump’s language, with posts calling Smith “dumb as a rock” gaining traction among MAGA-aligned users.
Critics, including left-leaning and sports-focused accounts, accused Trump of personal attacks and questioned the timing amid the high-stakes Finals. Some viewed the “low IQ” remark through a racial lens, given Smith’s prominence as a Black commentator.
Sports fans expressed frustration that the political drama was detracting from the Knicks-Spurs series. Others saw entertainment value in the “sports-politics theater,” with memes and clips of both men’s comments going viral.
Prominent accounts from outlets like Fox News/Outkick and Yahoo shared details of the escalating war of words, while Stephen A. Smith’s own responses drew significant engagement.
This is not the first time Trump and Smith have clashed. Smith has frequently criticized Trump on “First Take” and elsewhere, while Trump has a history of targeting media figures he perceives as adversaries. The latest spat highlights the intersection of sports, celebrity and politics, especially with Trump’s history as a New York figure and NBA enthusiast.
As the NBA Finals continue, the verbal jousting adds another layer to an already intense series. Whether it affects fan sentiment or player focus remains to be seen, but it has dominated sports talk in the interim.
