After a public back-and-forth with President Donald Trump last week, ESPN host Stephen A. Smith acknowledged Sunday that Trump is an “upgrade” over former President Joe Biden.

Smith made the remarks during an interview with CNN host Kasie Hunt.

Last week, Smith said he would blame Trump if the New York Knicks lost Game 3 to the San Antonio Spurs.

The ESPN host, who has flirted publicly with running for office, argued that Trump’s presence at Madison Square Garden affected the team’s energy after New York lost the game.

Listen to Stephen A Smith blame Trump for the Knicks loss 😂

Hopefully he comes to the rest of the games

Smith is a racist bigot pic.twitter.com/KFpZOcuQ6E

— Roy Rogue (@rogue185263) June 10, 2026

Trump responded to the comments by calling Smith a “nice guy” and questioning his intelligence.

“You need a certain aptitude to run for president. You need a high IQ. I’m not sure Stephen has that. I don’t think he does, actually,” Trump said.

Reporter: Stephen A. Smith said he would blame you if the Knicks lost tonight how do you respond

Donald Trump: I think he’s a nice guy 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
😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂 pic.twitter.com/GxMApZTCqD

— Ultra MagaBA🇺🇸 (@Brookltnwilliw) June 9, 2026

Do you watch ESPN’s sports coverage?

Yes: 0% (0 Votes)

No: 100% (4 Votes)

The feud has apparently lost some steam since the Knicks ultimately won the NBA Finals in five games.

During Sunday’s interview with Hunt, Smith criticized Trump, but admitted he is a much sharper leader than his predecessor.

“Well, I don’t know anybody that would associate the word ‘sharp’ with [Trump] because he doesn’t seem that sharp with some of the decisions that he makes sometimes, to be quite honest with you,” Smith said. Fox News reported.

“But I’m not here to denigrate or insult the president of the United States in that regard.”

Smith then added, “He is certainly an upgrade from what we were seeing from Joe Biden in terms of his alertness and what have you.”

Stephen A. Smith callenges Trump to a debate after Trump called him “low IQ” person
pic.twitter.com/IAJ3r0cNzz

— Defiant L’s (@DefiantLs) June 15, 2026

Smith later defended his intellect and said he would like to debate Trump.

“When he wants to sit up there and question my IQ and talk to me about people that would smoke me in a debate, well, why don’t you do it yourself?” Smith said.

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Staff Writer