Stephen A. Smith calls dinner with Trump, Bill Maher, Kid Rock ‘shocking’

Commentator Stephen A. Smith said he was shocked President Trump hosted him, left-leaning comedian Bill Maher and conservative country star Kid Rock at the White House earlier this week, adding the gathering lasted more than four hours.

“It was shocking. I certainly didn’t expect that amount of time,” Smith told CNN’s Laura Coates Friday night. “I give him all the credit in the world because he didn’t run from any questions. Anything we asked him, he kept coming back at us with the things that he had to say.”

While Kid Rock, whose real name is Robert Richie, told a panel on Fox New’s “Fox & Friends” after the Thursday dinner that he has dined with Trump and Maher once in the past, he did not elaborate on why the trio — with obvious political differences — got invited together to meet in the Oval Office.

Smith, an independent political commentator and ESPN personality, said he accepted the invite to discuss his concerns surrounding funding for Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU). But he said the conversation drifted to include other topics, like the midterms and the economy.

Kid Rock characterized the gathering similarly during his Fox & Friends appearance, where he said that, despite some disagreement, they all conceded that “socialism and communism have no place to have a foothold in our government.”

The president and his party face serious headwinds ahead of the midterms, with voters disapproving of his administration on several issues, including the economy, which he ran on in 2024. Smith said he pressed Trump on economic concerns and the GOP’s position, to which the president responded he was adamant conditions would improve.

“As it pertains to the economy, no, he says what he always says, and he firmly believes in himself,” Smith said. “Obviously everything gets better. That’s his mentality.”

Smith said he also told Trump polls show he is unpopular at the moment, but the president maintained that Republicans see him favorably.

One other topic Smith said raised to Trump was the Texas Senate race, where the president’s choice in the Republican primary was Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton — who won the party’s nomination. Paxton now narrowly trails his Democratic opponent, James Talarico, in many polls.

“I said to him, the real problem is Ken Paxton. It’s a damn shame that [Paxton] … is sitting around scared to debate,” Smith said. “That is a disgrace to me. He should be unqualified for the job.”

Paxton has not accepted invites from Talarico to debate, even as some of his closest allies say he should do so. Trump reportedly said Smith had “a good point” on Paxton’s refusal to debate, according to the commentator.

Smith said he appreciated the chance to fit face to face with Trump, something he said he had not done in years.

“This is the first time I’ve seen him face to face in over a decade and a half, and I saw it as an opportunity to make my case,” Smith said. “Obviously we’ve known each other for many, many years, even though we’ve never spoken outside of one interview since he became president of the United States.”

Trump spoke to reporters about the dinner outside of the White House Friday, describing the gathering as “great” and that “they had a good time.”

“It was a very informative dinner,” the president added. “Smart people. Stephen A. is great. Bill Maher — I will tell you what. He likes me a lot more than people understand, and I actually like him. It was a good dinner.”