← The Stephen A. Smith Show
The Stephen A. Smith Show
Full Show: Stephen A recaps NBA Playoffs. Responds to Caitlin Clark's Injury. Trump shocked by Putin's Ukrainian bombings.
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- [00:00]
Stephen A. Smith
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We're prohibited by law. 21 plus terms and conditions apply. What's up everybody? Welcome to the latest edition of the Stephen A. Smith Show. Coming at you as I love to do at the very least three times a week over the digital airways of YouTube and of course iHeartRadio. As always, I like to pause before I do anything else to give thanks and pay gratitude to my subscribers, my listeners, my followers. Because obviously without your support, this show wouldn't be where it is today. Millions of downloads courtesy of iheartradio over the last few months and of course the subscriber base that has now increased to over 1.22 million subscribers. So thank y' all for the love and support. Enough. Can't thank y' all enough for the support. Keep it coming and I'm gonna keep on coming to continue to like and follow the show. Just click the bell to get notified for all of our newest content and you too shall consider yourself the latest member of the Stephen A. Smith show family. And while you're doing that, make sure to pick up a copy of my New York Times best selling book, Straight Shooter, A memoir of second chances and first takes now in paperback. Just go to straight shoot a book.com to get yourself a copy. Once again, that's straight shooter. Book.com to get yourself a copy. A lot of stuff to get into, but it's going to be a relatively quick show today because I got to hit the road because since the Minnesota Timberwolves did what they did, I got to end up back to okc probably back here. Who the hell knows what's going to happen? But that's where we're going to get started because we're talking about the NBA playoffs, specifically the Western Conference finals, where the Oklahoma City Thunder are just one game away from one win away from reaching the NBA Finals. That's because they took down the Minnesota Timberwolves 128 to 126 last night in game four to take a commanding three to one series lead. The league MVP himself, Shay Gilgeous Alexander, and Jalen Williams led the way for the Thunder, both dropping playoff career highs of 40 and 34 points, respectively. As for the Timberwolves, they struggled as both Anthony Edwards and Julius Randle were held to just 21 points. Combined with Edwards was asked about their struggles in game 4 and I can't believe I'm hearing this, but listen to what he had to say. I don't look at it like I struggled or he struggled. They just, they had a good game plan making us get off the ball. Especially for me, man, it was super in the gaps. I made the right play all night. So I don't really look at it like I struggled. I didn't get enough shots to say I struggled. So that's my. That might be how you guys look at it, but yeah, I didn't struggle at all. It just, I made the right play. That's how I looked at it. I looked at it as struggling because if you're ant man Anthony Edwards, 41 minutes, 16 points, 5 of 13 shooting from the field, which is just 39%, 1 of 7 from 3 point range, just 14%, 5 turnovers. That's struggling. That's struggling. Now I love me some ant man, always have. And I think that he's a future face of this league. But let me be very, very clear. When you are a superstar in this league, you do not go Into a game 4 down 21 knowing you have to avoid a 31 series advantage to the opposition. And you go into this game and you attempt only two shots in the entire first half. He took one shot. His first shot was with 35 seconds left in the first quarter. Come on, bro, that ain't what got game three. That ain't what galvanized the troops and led to a 40 plus point ball blowout of the Oklahoma City Thunder. You got to be more aggressive than that, okay? And let's call it what it is. Jordan wouldn't have took two shots and a half. Kobe Bryant would have done that. Dr. J wouldn't have done that. Magic Johnson wouldn't have done that. Library wouldn't have done that. Come on now, come on now. LeBron wouldn't have done that. Maybe D. Wade wouldn't have done that. I'm just saying, two shots and a half. Nah, that's not cutting it. And by the way, Shay Gilgeous Alexander was in the midst of putting on a show. 40, 10 and 9 on the road in a game they needed to secure this series, essentially being up three 1. Shay Gildrich Alexander. 40, 10 and 9. That brother something special. The modern day upgraded version of George Gervin the Iceman. Check it out. If you don't know your basketball history, I'm telling you, he's that kind of a player. He is special. Make no mistake about it. And then I'm looking at some other numbers. Did y' all know that despite the loss, the Tippelwolves shot the ball better than OKC? 51%. They shot 44% from three point range. They out rebounded. OKC scored more points in the paint. The scored more points in Transition and off second chance. Second chance opportunities. They had eight more assists and three more points off turnovers. They made six more free throws. Minnesota's bench outscored the Dunther 64 to 27. And they still lost. They still lost. I love Julius Randall. I think he's a great guy. I think he's a talent and he's a bulldog. I mean put him down low. He's a man child. Five points on one of seven shooting, bro. Five points. Horrible performance by Julius Randle. No way around it because the minute he put the ball on the floor, they knew it because he's not a ball handler. So they chased him off the three point line and they made him put the ball on the floor. And he was ill equipped to handle that. He looked like he was playing for the Knicks in the playoffs. And I'm not talking about the present day Knicks. I'm talking about when Julius Randle was there a few years back when they had lost to Atlanta in the postseason and Julius Randle couldn't get anything right. That's how he looked last night. And this is the second time in four games. Because game two, he was awful. Game four last night he was awful. Single digits in both games. And now the Minnesota Timberwolves on the brink of elimination. Let me be very clear about what I'm trying to say. Oklahoma City ain't coming back to Minneapolis this season. This series is over tomorrow night in okc. I can't Imagine that. Minnesota's gonna find a way to win this game. I just can't see it in Oklahoma City with that crowd. Did y' all see the fans out there at three o' clock in the morning when Oklahoma City Thunder landed back home, there was thousands waiting outside at 3 o' clock in the morning and they hadn't even won the series yet. Does not look good for Minnesota. It does not look good. I just want to say that and get that out the way. I expect this series to end in five Wednesday night at okc, where I will be. And if I look a little bit tired, damn, it's because I'm a lot tired. I'm exhausted. You know, it's hard traveling back and forth for OKC and Minnie and all that. You don't catch many flights that way going in those areas of the country. I'm just telling you that right now. It's not easy, okay? And that stuff will drain you. But I'm here for it. I'm here for it. I think this series ends Wednesday night in game five. So let me transition to the East. We're gonna get to the East IND Conference finals, where the Knicks have a chance to steal home court advantage back from the Indiana Pacers with a win tonight in Indy. New York storm back from 20 points down in Game 3, but they're still down 21 in the series. Head coach Tom Thibodeau switched up the lineup, starting Mitchell Robinson over Josh Hart. Of course, we know that story. We'll see what he does tonight heading in to game four. Here's my thing about the New York Knicks and this series against the Pacers. I want to state, as a New York Knick fan, I'm not some disgusting, delusional, nauseating fan base. I'm not that dude like the Dallas Cowboy fans are. I'm a realist. The Indiana Pacers are a better team than the New York Knicks. I'm going to say it again. The Indiana Pacers are a better team than the New York Knicks. The question is, do they have the New York Knicks grit? Are they willing to grind the way the New York Knicks do? Do they have anybody that could deal with Jalen Brunson? Neesmith was doing that, but he twisted his ankle, and by virtue of twisting his ankle, he was suspect throughout the rest of the game when he ultimately returned back onto the court after departing for a few minutes. Jalen Brunson was in foul trouble throughout Game 3. But he came in and when it counted most, he was able to close with a Big time shot with over a minute. With over a minute left, not to mention hitting all 10 of his free throws. New York Knicks in the fourth quarter hit 15 to 16 free throws, 10 of 10 at clutch time, 6 of 6 in the final 20 seconds. That's how they won this victory. Their offense wasn't sublime, it wasn't flawless. The Indiana Pacers, top to bottom, are a deeper team and they're a better shooting team. And they're obviously better coach because as good as Tom Thibodeau is, he is no Rick Carlisle. But they got their work cut out for them. There's no way around it because the New York Knicks won't go away. And I believe they're not going away tonight. I think they're going to win tonight in Indy. I think they're going to go back to the Garden and win game five. And then ultimately we're looking at a seven game series. That's what I call from day one. Now let me say this because I am a die hard Knicks fan and I do believe in orange and blue skies, baby. And I know that, let me tell y' all the irony of my situation. I'm just gonna put it out there for you. Do you know that orange and blue skies also apply to okc? Those are their colors too. Orange or blue, you. Who would have thunk it? I mean, on a year that I don't need this problem. And the New York Knicks are as close to they have been in a quarter century of capturing the championship. Let me tell y' all something. There is no way in hell. I believe the New York Knicks can beat the Oklahoma City Thunder. Can they beat Indiana? Yes. I don't believe they could beat okc. And I actually think it would be a better finals if it's Indiana versus okc because both of them are deep, both of them are exceptionally coached. It's just that OKC is the one with a superstar in Shea butter. As in Shea Gilgames Alexander. I gotta say it. I gotta say it because it's true. It's just the truth. So this is where we are. But you got to take it one series at a time. And I'll worry about the Knicks later and what they could do against Oklahoma City later. For right now I need them to beat the Indiana Pacers, which they should be able to do. Tom Zimmernold used dudes on this bench. I didn't even know Shamrock was on the bench. And Delon Wright, I didn't even know they were there. But putting them on the court and allowing them to defend Halliburton 94ft. That caused some problems. Indiana not shooting the ball well from three point range or from the field. That caused some problems. I kind of like this and I'm just looking at it and I'm saying to myself, hey, let me tell y' all something right now. New York Knicks should be able to win this series six and one on the road this year, but three and five at Madison Square Garden and then I'm looking at some of this other stuff to some of these other numbers that I needed to point out. Halliburton had 20 to 20 points and 47% shooting in game three. Indiana starting five. However, they shot a combined 4 of 21 from three in game three. They're usually better than that. Neesmith and Nemhar combined for just 17 points of 4, 17 shooting 1 of 6 from 3 in game 3. I don't expect that to continue. The New York Knicks gonna have a tough time tonight. It's going to be real interesting to see what happens. Call Anthony Towns was sensational in game three. 20 points in the fourth quarter, but up until then he only had four points for the first three quarters. I'm looking at Mitchell Robinson. He shows up and throughout this series he's played 22 first quarter minutes and has had 10 points, 10 rebounds. The last three quarters of this series he's played a grand total of 57 minutes and he's only scored four points, but with 13 rebounds. So offensively in terms of his productivity, he's relatively. He's basically disappeared. I'm just looking at it and I'm saying, hey, we got to get it together. New York Knicks can win this game, they should win this game, but it ain't gonna be easy. And the quandary for me is I'm a die hard Knicks fan. I love my New York Knicks. I know they can't beat Oklahoma City. Their defense is just too damn good. And one man in Brunson and another dude in Karl Anthony Towns going up against a hard Stein and a Chet Holger. There is no way in hell that this New York Knicks team is going to be able to beat Oklahoma City. They're just too deep. They're just too deep and they're too tenacious defensively. You need to be deep yourself and more potent offensively to be able to have a chance against an OKC team, which is Indiana. So Indiana could lose to the Knicks, but it'd be a better matchup than the Knicks for okc. Somebody got to Say it. So I'm telling you, that's the situation right now going going into these conference finals. One is post game four, one is approaching the game four in the west and the east, respectively. But that's the nugget of material you need to know. I'll get into all of that a little bit later on in the week as the show progresses, but I'm going to move on from sports right now. Coming up, Donald Trump finally calls out Russian President Vladimir Putin over the war in Ukraine. What does it all mean? I'll get into that and then some. But first, Caitlin Clark will be out at least two weeks with a quad strain injury. What does that mean for the wnba? I'll get into that and more next right here on the Stephen A. Smith Show. Don't go away. All right, folks, I need you all to stop what you're doing and listen up. You know I love this time of year, right? The NBA playoffs are in full effect and with all this action jumping off, the Stephen A. Smith show wants to make sure you take advantage of it all. That's why we partnered with Prize Picks the best place to win cash while watching sports. The app is easy to use. Just pick more or less on a few player stats and you could win up to 2000 times your cash on a single lineup. Best of all, Prize picks will give you $50 when you play your first $5 lineup. Win or lose, you'll get 50 bucks for playing. Use promo code SAS and download the app now. Again, download the app and use code SAS to get $50 instantly after your first $5 lineup. Prize picks hey, hey, run your game. The New York Knicks snatched game three from the Indiana Pacers to stay alive. Game four is tonight as they look to even up the series. So I'll be giving you my picks from tonight's game. First up, will the Knicks Josh Hart score more or less than eight and a half points? First of all, I think he's going to get more than eight and a half points because I think he's going to hit a few jump shots. He's going to have open opportunities. Not to mention the fact that he's going to crash the boards and he's going to be relevant on the open court. Yes, I'm going with more than eight and a half points. Next up, will Miles McBride score more or less than four and a half points? I'm going to say more to this as well. This brother is better than anybody on the New York Knicks in the plus minus category. While Mikel Bridges is worse than anybody else on the Knicks. And in the plus minus category, Miles McBride has been a pleasant, a pleasant, pleasant surprise. I'm very, very pleased with his development and growth. I'm going with more on this one as well. Next, will the Pacers Andrew Nemhard score more or less than 11 and a half points? I think he will. Here's why. Because N. Smith is going to be out, and if he's not out definitively, he's definitely going to be at least hobbled because he twisted his ankle and he's trying to recover from that. That's going to give Nemhard more opportunities and he can shoot. I'm going to say more than 11 and a half for him. And finally, will T.J. mcConnell score more or less than eight and a half points? He's the guy I described as the little engine that could. Whatever he needs to do, he gets done. He's a workman. He finds a way to be productive and effective. I think he will in this game too. So the rehash that's more for Josh Hart, more on Miles McBride, more on Andrew Nemhard, and more on TJ McConnell. Stephen A. Smith Giving it to you. We like more when it comes to talking about prospects. What we do Go to Prize Picks app and check out the Stephen A. Smith show community play. It's boosted 25%, y' all. In case you didn't know, Made for.
- [17:25]
Unknown Host 1
This Mountain is a podcast that exists to empower listeners to rise above their struggles, break free from the chains of trauma and silence the negative voices that have kept them small. Through raw conversations, real stories, and actionable guidance, you can learn to face the mountain that is in front of you.
- [17:42]
Unknown Host 2
You will never be able to change or grow through the thing that you refuse to identify. The thing that you refuse to say, hey, this is my mountain. This is the struggle. This is the thing that's in front of me. You can't make that mountain move without actually diving into that.
- [17:54]
Unknown Host 1
May is Mental Health Awareness Month, a time to conquer the things that once felt impossible and step boldly into the best version of yourself, to awaken the unstoppable strength that's inside of us all. So tune into the podcast, focus on your emotional well being and climb your personal mountain.
- [18:10]
Unknown Host 2
Because it's impossible for you to be the most authentic you. It's impossible for you to love you fully if all you're doing is living to please people. Your mountain is that.
- [18:19]
Unknown Host 1
Listen to Made for this mountain on the iHeartRadio app. Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.
- [18:25]
Amy Robach
Amy Robach and TJ Holmes Here, Diddy's former protege, television personality platinum selling artist Danity Kang. Alum Aubrey o' Day joins us to provide a unique perspective on the trial and that has captivated the attention of the nation.
- [18:39]
TJ Holmes
Aubrey o' Day is sitting next to us. Here you are. As we sit here right up the street from where the trial is taking place, some people saw that you were going to be in New York and they immediately started jumping to conclusions. So can you clear that up? First of all, are you here to testify in the Diddy trial? Aubrey will offer her opinions and expertise based on her firsthand knowledge from her days on making the band, as she emerged as the breakout star to the truth of the situation would be opposite of the glitz and glamour.
- [19:08]
Stephen A. Smith
It wasn't all bad, but I don't know that any of the good was real. I went through things there.
- [19:16]
Amy Robach
Listen to Amy and TJ presents Aubrey O' Day covering the Diddy trial on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.
- [19:29]
Stephen A. Smith
Welcome back to Stephen A. Smith Show. Now let's get to the wnba where the Indiana Fever announced that star Caitlin Clark will be out at least two weeks with a left quad strain. Clark reported some pain in her leg Saturday after the team's loss to the New York Liberty. She subsequently underwent an MRI and was diagnosed with the strain on Monday. Clark was the WNBA's rookie of the year last season and a first team all WNBA selection. So far, she's averaging 19 points in the league, leading 9.3 assists through four games this season. I could give a damn about that last part. I don't care about her leading the league in assists. I don't care about the points that she's averaging because I already know that the young lady can ball. She is special. What I'm interested in is what somebody tweeted me and asked about earlier today that I want to show you right now. Put this tweet up please, so our audience can see it here at 4th gen Bucci. B U C C I Right? Stephen A. Smith. Can the WNBA keep itself afloat while Cece, as in Caitlin Clark is out? End quote. My answer would be yes. I'm not going to summarily dismiss the wnba. It's growing popularity, some of the athletes that they have in there, I mean Asia Wilson, come on now. I mean it really starts with her. We all know what she brings to the table. Brianna Stewart and others. We see what this league has available to itself and what it's maintained. We get that part. But I'm not going to ignore, nor am I going to take my eyes off of what transpires with the WNBA over the next two weeks while Caitlin Clark is out with the quad strain. And the reason why is because let me tell you something right now. I'm not going to go to word hate. I'm not going to be out there like RG3 was saying that Angel Reese hates Caitlin Clark or other players hate, hate Caitlin Clark. But I will say this. I don't think it's specific about Caitlin Clark. I think it's what Caitlin Clark represents. See, it's no fault of Caitlin Clark. Caitlin Clark balls. She bowled at Iowa in college. She's balled since she's been in the NBA. She, she came into the league last year with no break whatsoever between the college game and the pro game and did her thing, ended up as an all star, ended up being fourth in the league in MVP voting, was the clear winner for rookie of the year. No competition whatsoever in that regard. When it was really all said and done, we know what she brings to the table. But people wanted to hate because why? You had a bunch of players in this league that watched this, this, this young white girl come along and take the league by storm, and they resented it because they saw the marketing prowess that she had. They ignored the fact that you got charted flights because of this girl. They ignored the fact that ratings were going through the roof because of this girl. Instead, they resented it because they said, yo, we were doing stuff long before Caitlin Clark got here and y' all wasn't paying attention in. But now the young white girl comes along and y' all want to sit up there and shower all of this praise and all of this attention that was earned by before she ever came along. The resentment is understandable, but it's not about Caitlin Clark. It's about what she represents. My point is, grow up. Who cares if you're Magic and Bird? That didn't stop Jordan from coming along and doing what he did over the years that followed. It didn't stop the Vince Carters of the world, the Allen Iverson of the world, the Shaq Diesel, Shaquille o' Neal's of the world, the Kim Olajuwon of the world, the Charles Barton Buckleys of the world. Not necessarily in that order, of course, because he came before all of those guys that I mentioned. How about a Vince Carter? How about a Kobe Bryant? It didn't stop them. The fact of the matter is that it has to start somewhere. And if it starts somewhere, a rising tide lifts all boats. You jump on that tide, you jump on that boat and elevate and use them to elevate your play or to elevate the attention you garner. It's very simple. But people didn't want to do that. It was a lot of people that didn't want to do that. Let's call it what it is. I ain't gonna mention no names, but you know, y' all know who they are and they didn't want to do that. And I'm not talking about players and just players talk about announcers too. Talk about pundits as well. There's a whole bunch of people that didn't want to give Caitlin Clark her shine. But let me go over some of these numbers just to remind y' all of what this, this, this young sister brought to the table. Because we all brothers from another mother and all of that other stuff and sisters from another mother and got that. That's why I said that. Let's, let's look at this. Became the first rookie with at least 25 points, five assists and five rebounds in a playoff game. That was Caitlin Clark. Became the fourth different rookie to play all 40 minutes in a playoff game. That was her. I'm looking at other things. Six different league television partners. This is last year. This is last season. Because this is Caitlin Clark that we're talking about. Six different league television partners set viewership records this year. That year, her rookie year for its highest viewed WNBA game. Do you know every one of those games included the Indiana Fever? I mean, am I just making this up? Am I just making this up? Every one of the games, including the Indiana Fever. That's a, that's. You think that's an accident? Thanks to Clark, Indiana led the league in attendance both at home and on the road. The Fever averaged 17,035 fans at home and over 15,000 on the road. Four teams moved home games to bigger arenas when Indiana came to town to accommodate more fans. That's about Caitlin Clark. How do we know this? Attendance for the entire league was up nearly 50% last year, according to data from across the timeline. An Indiana lead led all teams with an average attendance of 17,035. That was up 319% from the year earlier. 319%. 319%. All of the teams still grew by double digit percentages, so let's not forget that. But they didn't grow by 319%. That was Caitlin Clark, which means she's largely responsible for the overall league attendance records. Merchandise sales were also up 450% for the WNBA according to fanatics, and Clark was the top selling player and is fifth among athletes across all sports. Fanatics also reported a 100% increase in sales for WNBA specific merchandise. It started with Caitlin Clark. And so now that we know all of this, and we've known that for months now, we get to turn around and look and see what exactly is it that the league will do knowing that she's out for the next two weeks. I'm not saying I know for sure what's going to happen, but I have an idea. We shall see. We'll definitely be watching. Coming up, President Donald Trump finally calls out Vladimir Putin over the war in Ukraine and then some. Also Jake Tapper and that new book out Original Sin. I'll tell you how all of that comes into play with exactly what I'm going to talk about with Donald Trump and how the people who end up getting screwed over are the Americans people. What on earth does one have to do with the other? I'll explain. Stick around. This is Stephen A. Smith Show. Back with more in a minute. All right everybody, listen up. With all the big time sports action that's happening each and every day, the Stephen A. Smith show wants to make sure you are taking advantage of it all. That's why we partnered with Prize Picks, the best place to win cash while watching sports. The app is really easy to use to make a lineup. All you have to do is pick more or less or a few player stats. Choose from any of your favorite players, Jalen Brunson, Tyrese Haliburton, and Anthony Edwards, the Ant man himself, all in the same entry. Then sit back and watch. The list is endless. You can play Prize picks in over 40 states, including California and Texas. Best of all, Prize Picks will give you $50 when you play your first $5 lineup. Win or lose, you'll get 50 bucks. Just use promo code SAS and download Prize Picks now. Again, download the app and use code SAS to get $50 instantly after your first $5 lineup. Prize picks Run your game Made for.
- [28:15]
Unknown Host 1
This Mountain is a podcast that exists to empower listeners to rise above their struggles, break free from the chains of trauma and silence the negative voices that have kept them small. Through raw conversations, real stories, and actionable guidance, you can learn to face the mountain that is in front of you.
- [28:31]
Unknown Host 2
You will never be able to change or grow through the thing that you refuse to identify, the thing that you refuse to say, hey, this is my mountain. This is the struggle. This is the thing that's in front of me. You can't make that mountain move without actually diving into that.
- [28:44]
Unknown Host 1
May is Mental Health Awareness Month, a time to conquer the things that once felt impossible and step boldly into the best version of yourself, to awaken the unstoppable strength that's inside of us all. So tune into the podcast, focus on your emotional well being and climb your.
- [28:58]
Unknown Host 2
Personal mountain because it's impossible for you to be the most authentic you. It's impossible for you to love you fully if all you're doing is living to please people. Your mountain is that.
- [29:09]
Unknown Host 1
Listen to Made for this mountain on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.
- [29:15]
Amy Robach
Amy Robach and TJ Holmes. Here, Diddy's former protege, television personality, platinum selling artist Danity King alum Aubrey o' Day joins us to provide a unique perspective on the trial that has captivated the attention of the nation.
- [29:29]
TJ Holmes
Aubrey o' Day is sitting next to us. Here you are. As we sit here, right up the street from where the trial is taking place. Some people saw that you were going to be in New York and they immediately started jumping to conclusions. So can you clear that up? First of all, are you here to testify in the Diddy trial? Aubrey will offer her opinions and expertise based on her firsthand knowledge from her days on making the band as she emerged as the breakout star. The truth of the situation would be opposite of the glitz and glamour.
- [29:58]
Stephen A. Smith
It wasn't all bad, but I don't know that any of the good was real. I went through things there.
- [30:05]
Amy Robach
Listen to Amy and TJ presents Aubrey O' Day covering the Diddy trial on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.
- [30:19]
Stephen A. Smith
Welcome back to the Stephen A. Smith Show. Let me get to Washington where President Donald Trump is threatening new sanctions on Russia in the coming days as he vents frustration at Russian President Vladimir Putin after Putin launched a new missile and drone attack on Ukraine over the weekend that left many dead. Here's what President Trump had to say about Putin yesterday when asked about the latest assault on Ukraine. Take a listen.
- [30:42]
Donald Trump
I'm not happy with what Putin's doing. He's killing a lot of people and I don't know what the hell happened to Putin. I've known him a long time, always gotten along with him, but he's sending rockets into cities and killing people and I don't like it at all.
- [30:57]
Stephen A. Smith
Okay. And here's what Trump posted today about Vladimir Putin on Truth Social, his social media outlet. Quote, what Vladimir Putin doesn't realize is that if it weren't for me, lots of really bad things would have already happened to Russia. And I mean really bad. He's playing with fire, end quote. Meanwhile, Democratic and Republican lawmakers are lobbying Trump to significantly ratchet up US Sanctions after the weekend attacks. However, Trump has said privately he is concerned that new sanctions could push Russia away from peace talks, end quote. First of all, let's, let's, let's call this what it is. That's an utterly ridiculous statement by our president of the United States. You're concerned about antagonizing Vladimir Putin and him becoming a bit more volatile. What are you talking about? What else does he have to do? What else does he have to do? Ladies and gentlemen, let's, let's, I'm not a historian, and I'm not asking you to look at me as an historian, but can we be honest and forthcoming about what has been transpiring over the last couple of decades or so? At the very least, you got to remember since the dissolution of Russia, of the old Soviet union, rather, in 1991, after Reagan told Gorbachev, tear down that wall and all of this other stuff. Remember, the Soviet Union has never been what it once was. And that pain very, very few people on the planet more so than Vladimir Putin. It's been his mission for the rest of his life since that period of time to reclaim territory and land that he believes belongs to the Soviet Union. I mean, I read some of these articles around here just from an historical perspective about the kind of stuff this man is fixated on. And it gets pretty damn scary. I mean, if you remember, remember when Bill O'Reilly told me to look up the Yalta conference, and he talked about Harry Truman, he talked about the United States, and he talked about Winston Churchill in Great Britain, and he talked about Stalin, Joseph Stalin and Russia, how ultimately they were supposed to agree upon some things in the aftermath of World War II, and that Stalin essentially reneged and ignored it. They thought that it was going to be about democracy. They thought that it was going to be about the three of them coming together and positioning themselves to police the world in a relatively democratic fashion. But Stalin wasn't going for it because he had his eyes set and his heart fixated and is so fixated on the Soviet Union, on Russian dominance, not just in their parts, but throughout Europe. When we fast forward all of these years later, what does it look like with Putin Right now. Except in Stalin, one could argue it was greed. In the case of Putin, he has the mentality, this is stuff that belongs to us. Just like when we took over Crimea in 2014, we believe that's ours. Ukraine is ours. Poland is ours. Finland is ours. Fourteen other different countries, ours. We believe that belongs to us and we're coming back to reclaim it. Everything that he's doing says so we don't have to worry about his words. We're looking at his actions. We're looking at his actions. And oh, by the way, it doesn't help when we see our president in the Oval Office, in the White House with Ukrainian President Zelensky acting like this. Y' all remember this? Check this out. During the war, everybody has problems, even you. But you have nice ocean and don't feel now, but you will feel it in the future. God bless.
- [34:40]
Donald Trump
You don't know that.
- [34:40]
Stephen A. Smith
God bless.
- [34:41]
Donald Trump
God bless. You are not war. Don't tell us what we're going to feel. We're trying to solve a problem. Don't tell us what we're going to to feel.
- [34:48]
Stephen A. Smith
I'm not telling you because you're in.
- [34:49]
Donald Trump
No position to dictate that.
- [34:51]
Unknown Host 1
Remember this.
- [34:52]
Donald Trump
You're in no position to dictate what we're going to feel. We're going to feel very good. We're going to feel very good and very strong.
- [35:01]
Stephen A. Smith
You will feel influenced.
- [35:02]
Donald Trump
You're right now not in a very good position. You've allowed yourself to be in a very bad position. And he happens to be right about.
- [35:09]
Stephen A. Smith
From the very beginning of the war.
- [35:10]
Donald Trump
You'Re not in a good position. You don't have the cards right now. Now with us, you start having cars right now. You don't. You're gambling with the lives of millions of people. You're gambling with World War Three. You're gambling with World War Three.
- [35:28]
Stephen A. Smith
You see how we got distracted? We got distracted with the rhetoric that Trump was spewing, the fact that here was a president of a nation at war, and we were focused on the fact that he didn't say thank you enough, the fact that he was dressed in military garb or in an outfit, as opposed to. Remember when you saw GOP politicians talking about, how did this man show up in the Oval Office and not even have on a suit and a tie? Remember that? While his country was being bombed. Remember that? And then we're talking about Trump and we're saying, oh, my goodness, the respect or the lack thereof. Did you have to have this man on national TV embarrassing him like that. We're caught up in the wrong kind of stuff. Where our focus needs to be is on Putin. I'm reading from some articles here. Russia's territory has greatly diminished from the time when Moscow controlled one sixth of of the planet's surface, including Finland, Poland, and 14 other currently independent countries. This is based on an article in the Wall Street Journal, just from a couple of years ago. June of 2022, to be exact. Are we not paying attention? Do we not see what's going on here? The man's not playing. 14 independent countries. Press Poland, press Finland. Okay, Estonia, Throw them in there. Montenegro. Who Trump lamented, should American soldiers be dying over something over fights in Montenegro? That's what he said in 2018. If I remember correctly, this is what the former president, the 45th president, who's now the 47th president, said at that particular moment in time. And we're focused on what exactly? Words, verbiage, tweets, how somebody's dressed, whether or not they said thank you enough and showed enough gratitude. We're talking about trying to prevent World War three. And why am I concerned about it to that deep of a level? Because we keep lamenting the state or we keep saying that Russia's lamenting the state of its armed forces, the state of its military. And yet when Trump opens his mouth and he says there's a hefty price that they could play, they could pay, what happens? Putin goes out there and drops a bunch of bombs and a bunch of drones on them, more so than he has in the last couple of years. And then Trump says, I don't know what's wrong with him. He seems to have gone crazy. I don't know what's going. Like you're surprised, but that's not what Lindsey Graham and those guys are saying. A matter of fact, reading from an article in the Wall Street Journal just a couple of days ago, I'm here reading and I'll read you a graph here. Good news is that US Senate still has some genuine realists when it comes to Russia. As GOP Senator Lindsey Graham writes in a letter Nearby, he has 82 co sponsors on a bill that would hit countries that buy Russian oil and gas with tariff sanctions. Energy sales are Mr. Putin's financial lifeline. President Biden refused to apply these so called secondary sanctions, and Mr. Trump can't make up his mind what the hell is going on. So we got 100 senators, we got a vast majority of folks in the House that believe that Russia is the legitimate threat, that we've all perceived them as being all of our lives. But somehow, some way, Trump thinks differently. Why? Why? For what? And by the way, I'm not here just to point the finger at Donald Trump. Like they said. President Biden at the time could have done something about all of this, but he refused to apply these so called secondary sanctions. Why not? See, this is why relationships with other nations or with specific dignitaries should have our proverbial eyebrows raised. Because it smells. What's up with Trump and Putin? Why are you not dealing with this man? Why are you letting him do this to Ukraine knowing that it has most of Europe scared shitless? Because you see, if you are the United States of America and you decide not to provide Keef with heavy weapons that could deter Russia's advancement, where does that leave us? These are legitimate questions. But I'm gonna tell you what the most sickening part about this is. And by the way, don't listen. I'm not trying to point the finger just at Trump. 2008, Russia invades Georgia. They weren't sanctioned in any serious way at the time. And that was followed by President Barack Obama's attempt at a reset with Moscow in 2014. Intervention in Donbass, Ukraine and annexation of Crimea during Obama's second term prompted only half hearted sanctions. Reading from that same article, Wall Street Journal, until last February, Germany had pushed the Nord Stream 8 under Nord Stream 2 pipeline project that would have allowed Russia's gas exports to bypass Ukraine. Up until April, the US and its allies refused to provide Kiev with the heavy weapons that could have deterred this year's war. Where does that leave us? Because I'm seeing a lot of people scared because they know that Putin's not playing. And if Putin gets a little bit, he's gonna keep going. He's gonna keep going and he's gonna keep going. And I'm gonna tell you what should scare us as American citizens. Who are we to believe? Because I don't know if y' all heard about that book that's come out okay, Original Sin, Jake Tapper from CNN and Alex Thompson. And it's original sin and it's basically highlighting and detailing Biden's deterioration, for lack of a better word. We saw it, we spoke on it. I was vilified for it. A year before the debate last June 27th when Biden went on stage against Donald Trump, I called it out a year before that, as in two years ago. Yo, he's not going to get to the Democratic National Convention. He does not need to be the Democratic nominee and I was excoriated. I was raked through the codes. Who the hell are you? What do you know? You're novice. Shut the hell up. Stick to sports. All of this stuff. I had two eyes I could see. And if there's one thing I'm pretty good at, is witnessing a deterioration taking place before my very eyes. Because I do it with athletes all the time. So if I can see it in them, I'm damn sure gonna be able to see it in an 80 year old president that Democrats was in the state capitol chanting four more years for that happened. And why do I bring that up? And what's the relevancy to all of that? I'll tell you what the relevancy is. I wouldn't feel so vexed, I wouldn't feel so insecure, I wouldn't feel so nervous if I thought we had a government that was committed to doing what's right instead of supporting somebody for their own purposes or going against them for their own individual purposes, as opposed to being objective and neutral enough to just give us the information Original sin supposedly is, highlighting how the information that was needed to be given wasn't given. That there was a concerted effort by members of the White House and beyond to hide the debilitating circumstances surrounding then President Joe Biden. Now, I could speak on it myself because obviously it's an egregious thing that transpired. And I think there's a whole bunch of people that should be ashamed of themselves. I can't wait to talk to Jake Tapper. Jake Tapper and Alex Thompson, because I want to know personally, I want to know personally what Roja Tapper played and not reporting on certain information. I told you, I watched the interview with Megyn Kelly from start to finish, ladies and gentlemen. She was sensational. She did a hell of a job. My point to you is that we saw it. How did Jake Tapper not see it? And as he continues to speak about all of this, where's his mea culpa? Because I don't see it. I haven't seen it yet. I'm going to be real interested in asking him about that when he comes on this show. The hatred for Trump was so deep that folks didn't want to report on his competition in any kind of negative way, then if the hatred for Trump was so deep that you were willing to compromise your own professional integrity, whether you're a journalist, whether you're a pundit, a commentator, a politician, etc. I mean, damn, who are we to believe now? But don't just take my word for it. Take Chris Cuomo's words for it. Listen to what he had to say on his show, News Nation. Check it out.
- [45:28]
Chris Cuomo
When it comes to Biden, you know how I feel. You didn't see and hear his obvious diminished capacity, what we mentioned here at News Nation all the time. This is a shocker. And now the narrative gets a nudge from a book that is about deception and a cover up. They want you to believe the media was deceived into thinking Biden. Biden had no issues. Don't count me in on that. I knew, okay? And it was no secret because you knew, too. The book is titled Original Sin, claiming to detail how Biden's staffers made efforts to hide his decline from the public and the media. The COVID has Biden with his hands over his eyes. And it could just as easily be a picture of the writers of this book who are pretending they didn't see in here what everybody else did. And look, I do believe the book is a cover for something, and it's a cover for something that's much more serious to me than Biden's age and stage ever were. The reality that many in the media knew damn well that Biden was losing it, but they played it down because they wanted Trump to lose more. The original sin is not hiding Biden's age and stage, but hiding this preference.
- [46:44]
Stephen A. Smith
Amen. Amen. Chris Cuomo is absolutely right. But you know what the bigger problem is? It makes Trump look right because that hatred for him that led people to compromise their own professional principles just to ensure that he didn't win the presidency. Well, if you were willing to do that, then all of a sudden, does it not buffer his arguments about lawfare being exercised against him? Does it not buffer his argument about fake news, Fake news, fake news. Does it not buffer the credibility that comes to his arguments that it was a witch hunt? Does it not in some way buffer the notion that somebody might have cheated him in 2020? I don't believe that last part. He lost that damn election. And I get that. I'm talking about him genuinely feeling cheated as opposed to knowing he's lying because, oh, my God, the numbers say so we're. Why should he give a damn? The rest of us. Yes, why should he give a damn about the numbers? You see what hatred can do. You see what an absence of objectivity can do. You see how the corrupt actions of a few, whether it's him and a potpourri of his lies over the years or Democrats and the lies that they were spewing leading up to the election. You see how we all got screwed. Because now the American people are sitting here not knowing what to believe or who to believe anymore. And then you wonder why I'm pissed. In my perfect world, all I want is somebody in that office and on Capitol Hill, whether as a senator or a representative, who is free from influence, whether it be that of monetary value or emotional. You're just committed to doing the job in the best interest of the country so people can walk the streets of America every single day, going to work, coming to and from work, socializing with friends, families and loved ones, living their best lives, understanding that, hey, we trust our officials to do their jobs. We don't have that luxury at this particular moment in time. Trump, now with Putin, makes no sense. Why he hasn't assisted other senators in imposing sanctions makes no sense. Just like the actions articulated in Jake Tapper's book, acknowledging what those who hated Trump, obviously on the left, were willing to do to subvert and evade the principles of our Constitution. They were willing to manipulate stuff at all costs just to ensure he didn't return to office. And as a result, we're sitting here with nobody to trust. What a damn shame. What a damn shame. Hopefully it won't lead to World War 3, but I ain't gonna lie to you. I'll be damned if I'm not worried about a few things. I don't know if I'm worried about that, but I'm worried about a lot of things, and you should be, too. Before I get on out of here, let's go to some tweets to end this show on a lighter note, if at all possible. Erryfrancona writes. Stephen A. Smith, why do you hate on Cowboys fans but then act the same way they do with your Knicks? How do I act? I consider Cowboy fans to be delusional and disgusting and nauseating. Okay? Now, the nauseating part may apply to me. You could even sit at the end, say I'm disgusting because of my Knicks fandom. But one thing I am not is delusional. They haven't won since 1973. I don't think they're winning this year. I don't walk around saying, you know where they go in the NBA championship next year, right? I don't do that. Y' all do. Don't ever compare me to a Cowboy fans. Y' all so damn delusional. Your owner profits off of it. He can sell y' all a bag of worms. You'll think it's shrimp. Next tweet. What's up at Mike Chapowski, right, Stephen A. Smith, how do you put on your shoes? A sock, shoe, sock, shoe or B sock, sock, shoe, shoe. It's B for me. Sock, socks and then shoe, shoe. That's how I like to do it. That's my comfortable way of doing. That's easy answer. Easy answer to that question. Last tweet, what do you got here? Let's see at Miriam Webster, right, What word is the most fun to say out loud? Blasphemous. Blasphemous or blasphemy? Either way works for me because I'm cussing without cussing. That's why it works for me. Hope you can appreciate where I'm coming from. That's it for this edition of the Stephen A. Smith Show. I'm about to get on out of here. I got to travel back on the road, get out of Minneapolis to head back to Oklahoma City for Game five where I actually expect Oklahoma City Thunder to end stuff. You know, I think this is the way it is. You know, I think Oklahoma City will end Minnesota tomorrow night. Minnesota Timberwolves. I think it's over, but I'll talk to y' all in a couple of days. Until next time, this is Stephen A. Signing off. Peace and love, everybody.
- [52:58]
Unknown Host 1
The Made for this Mountain podcast exists to empower listeners to rise above their inner struggles and face the mountainous in front of them. So during Mental Health Awareness Month, tune into the podcast, focus on your emotional well being and then climb that mountain.
- [53:13]
Unknown Host 2
You will never be able to change or grow through the thing that you refuse to identify, the thing that you refuse to say. Hey, this is my mountain. This is the struggle.
- [53:21]
Unknown Host 1
Listen to Made for this mountain on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.
- [53:28]
Amy Robach
Amy Robach and TJ Holmes here, Diddy's former protege, television personality Danity King, alum with Aubrey o' Day joins us to provide a unique perspective on the trial that has captivated the attention of the nation.
- [53:41]
Stephen A. Smith
It wasn't all bad, but I don't know that any of the good was real. I went through things there.
- [53:49]
Amy Robach
Listen to Amy and TJ presents Aubrey O' Day covering the Diddy trial on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.
- [53:58]
Stephen A. Smith
You're listening to an iHeart podcast.