First posted on Instagram
President Donald Trump sat down with ESPN commentator Stephen A. Smith at the White House on Thursday, November 12, for a wide-ranging interview on Smith's YouTube show, "Straight Shooter," recorded in the Roosevelt Room and posted online that evening. The conversation ran for about 40 minutes.
During the interview, Trump said he does not understand why Black Americans vote Democrat, made the case for the SAVE America Act, and accused Democrats of trying to "drown out" Black voters' voices through illegal immigration.
Trump argued the legislation would protect Black voters by strengthening election security and ensuring American citizens' votes are protected. The SAVE America Act would require documentary proof of U.S. citizenship to register to vote in federal elections and a photo ID to cast a ballot. The House passed the bill in February, but it has not passed the Senate, where Democrats have vowed to block it. Supporters describe it as a voter-ID and proof-of-citizenship measure; critics raise concerns about access to the ballot.
The interview covered more than the Black vote. Smith pressed Trump on the Republican losses in the November 3 midterm elections, the conflict with Iran, rising gas and grocery prices, the economic impact of tariffs, funding for historically Black colleges and universities, criminal justice reform, border security under White House Chief of Staff Stephen Miller, Jensen Huang's resignation from Nvidia, and a hypothetical presidential matchup against Barack Obama. The segment on Trump's record with Black voters and HBCU funding comes about 25 minutes into the episode.
The conversation followed an earlier meeting between the two men. On October 15, Smith attended a private White House dinner with Trump, comedian Bill Maher and musician Kid Rock, where he said he pressed the president on funding for historically Black colleges and universities. Smith, an HBCU graduate, has said the administration's rollback of diversity policies has made private corporations hesitant to donate to HBCUs, and that Trump told him he had not considered that effect and would look into it.
After the taping, Smith spoke to reporters in the White House driveway, and C-SPAN carried the exchange. Smith said the interview would air at about 6 p.m. that evening.