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The Stephen A. Smith Show
Full Show: What’s Lebron playing for? Knicks advance! Interview with Black conservative Royce White.
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- [00:00]
Stephen A. Smith
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Stephen A. Smith
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Josh
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Stephen A. Smith
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- [01:00]
Josh
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- [01:02]
Stephen A. Smith
No purchase necessary. VGW Group Void where 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. Obviously, we've eclipsed millions of downloads or accumulated millions of Downloads courtesy of iHeartRadio over the last few months and we've eclipsed over 1.2 million subscribers on YouTube. Can't thank y'all for the love and support. Enough. Keep it coming and I'll keep on coming to be notified for our newest content. Just click the bell and you too shall be considered the latest member of the Stephen A. Smith show family since you'll be updated on all of our newest content. And while you're doing that, please make sure to get a copy of my New York Times bestselling book, Straight Shooter, A Memoir of Second Chances and First Takes, now in paperback. Just go to straight shooter book.com to get yourself a copy. Once again, that's straight shooter book.com to get yourself a copy. I'm going to get into a few things as the show progresses. Very, very compelling interview. I think if you listen to it, it'll shock your core when you consider the conversation that I'm about to have and the person that I'm about to have it with. Because I promise you, it's not something that you see too often. That's number one number two, the President of the United States of America, the 47th President of the United States of America,. Mr. Donald Trump. Somebody that I've tried to tell y'all that I knew a little bit because we used to speak off and on throughout the years up until he ran for the presidency. And the other night when I was on News Nation with Chris Cromwell and Bill O'Reilly and he called in, that was the first time I had spoken to him in approximately 11 years. So I'll be getting into all of that in just a few minutes, but not before I get started with the NBA playoffs as the first round comes to an end this weekend. Earlier this week we saw the Los Angeles Lakers eliminated from playoff contention at home, by the way, by ant man himself, Anthony Edwards in the Minnesota Timberwolves. The lakers lost in 5:5. And the team met with the media yesterday to talk about the off season and what needs to happen heading into next year. Head coach J.J. redick had one thing on his mind yesterday when talking about what the Lakers need to do to improve. Take a listen.
- [03:20]
Josh
I'll start with the off season and the work that's required in an off season to be in championship shape. And you know, we, we have a ways to go as a roster and certainly there are individuals that were in phenomenal shape. There's certainly other ones that could have been in better shape.
- [03:42]
Stephen A. Smith
First things first. Obviously he's talking about Luka Doncic. It doesn't take an Einstein to figure that out. That may not be the only person he's talking about, but clearly he's talking about him. At the very least, he's the one that's going to have the ball in his hands the majority of the time. He's going to be the face of the franchise for the next decade or at least the foreseeable future. He is a basketball iconic superstar globally I might add. And so because of that, you're looking at him and you know, the conditioning or lack thereof, the manner in which he was attacked, the manner that the fact that in game five, in the closeout game, he gave up nine blow bys for crying out loud. That is something that has to be rectified. J.J. redick knows that and his willingness to speak about that is not hypocritical in any way, ladies and gentlemen, because J.J. redick say what you all about about him, but he has always been somebody that's been in shape. He was always his, his pension and what wrote his success through Duke as an all American and then ultimately on the professional basketball level was the fact that JJ Redick's movement without the ball was obviously a very, very significant thing. The man has always been in shape. So when he talks about one's conditioning, it's not like we could look at him and call him out for anything. We certainly can't do that. That's number one. Number two, when the Lakers talk about improving their roster, understand that they don't have a boatload of things to work with. You got players, the Austin Reeves, the Rui Hachimora's, the Jared Vanderbilts of the world, the Gabe Vincent's of the world. All of them are hovering around anywhere from 11 to 13 million in salary. Here's the problem with an Austin Reeves that's making about 13 million. If you move him, how much equitable compensation are you getting in return? He's established himself as a bona fide number three option for the Los Angeles Lake. He's averaged about 20 points game this year. He's improved vastly. And if you're going to move him, okay, what kind of equitable compensation are you going to get in return for his services? Because at $13 million, again, the salaries don't necessarily match. He's grossly underpaid. So because he's grossly underpaid, you know, it's one of those situations where if you move him, you're going to get shortchanged on the return. I don't know about that. But the biggest thing it brings me to is wonder and have me wondering about LeBron James. If LeBron James decides to come back for his 23rd season, which everybody and their grandmama believes he will, I think a legitimate question to be asked is, what is he playing for? Do y'all understand that since LeBron James has arrived in Los Angeles, they missed the playoffs, they won a championship in the bubble, but then they spent the next three years or four years or so either missing the playoffs or getting bounced in the first round. And at least once they were swept since 2020, okay, LeBron James has gone to the Western Conference finals, Darvin Ham's first year, all right? But other than that, he's been home in the first round or before then. So you look at the Los Angeles Lakers right now. You look at the rest of the Western Conference, ladies and gentlemen. OKC is not going anywhere. Houston's not going anywhere. Minnesota's not going anywhere. Dallas is not going anywhere. I gave you four teams right there, and we don't even have to count all the others. Where's Denver gonna fade? Yokich is still around. Jamal Murray's still there. Aaron Gordon is still there. Michael Porter Jr. Is still there. Where they going? That's five teams. Clippers, Lakers had their way with them during the regular season. The Clippers are the ones still playing. Going up, going for a Game 7 tomorrow night in Denver in the first round of the players while the Lakers are already home. And five, five, what's up with them? So I gave you sixteens right there. Six teams. If you're LeBron James at some point in time, it's appropriate and fair to ask, what is he playing for? Cuz are the Lakers gonna win? Okay, see's the one with the assets. Houston's the one with the assets. Minnesota got ant man and some defensive wizards around them. Dallas, Kyrie eventually will return. Anthony Davis, Daniel Gafford, Derek Lively, they ain't going away. I'm just saying we got to pay attention to these things. You're talking about five to six different teams before you even think about the Lakers. LeBron James is still an all world player. He's still one of the greatest. There is no question in that. But if conditioning is an issue with Luca and the ability of the Lakers front office to do something to improve the roster are all high question marks, where does that leave LeBron James? Is he really playing to win? Meaning does he believe that they can win with him? Is he playing because he just doesn't feel like relocating? Is he playing so his other son could come into the NBA? These are the questions that people are asking and I think they're legitimate. Because right now with the Lakers going home in the first round, it's almost so you can't even take their regular season effort seriously anymore. You got to wait until the postseason when teams have an opportunity to plan and plot against them in the best of 7 series. Can't ignore it. I certainly am not. And I don't think the rest of you can either. The situation is what it is and there is absolutely, positively no way around it. By the way, as an aside to the people of Dallas, can we take the heat off of Nico Harrison just a touch? Because you talk about somebody that doesn't look too bad today, it's Nico Harrison. Because when you look at Luka Doncic and you look at the way everybody from Julius Randle to a Mike Conley Jr. To an ant man to a Jada McDaniels, when you see the way everybody was blowing right by him, he is a defensive liability. And offensively, because they pressured him 94ft for most of the game come fourth quarter time, he didn't have the legs. Is he going to dedicate himself? Is he going to recognize that he's the new face of the franchise for the Los Angeles Lakers? Is he going to understand the importance of making sure he's in peak condition so he can maximize his talents? Because I got news for you. As great as Luca is, and we all know he's great, you know, somebody else who's having just as big of an impact as Luca is his former sub, Jalen Brunson, who, by the way, helped Luca carried the Dallas Mavericks to a Western Conference finals about three years back. That same Jalen Brunson who the Dallas Mavericks didn't want to give 53 million to, and the Knicks ended up giving them over $104 million, too, before signing them to a new contract where he sacrificed a hundred million dollars, which he could have signed had he waited an extra year just to ensure that the New York Knicks got their boy Mikel Bridges, his former boy at Villanova, to come play with him with the New York Knicks. Jalen Brunson did that. That same Jalen Brunson has carried the Knicks to a second consecutive berth into the Eastern Conference semifinals, courtesy of a 116, 113 victory over Detroit in Game 6 last night in Detroit. Jalen Brunson, as I told you, was The Star, dropping 40 points on the Pistons, including a late three pointer with four seconds left in the game to seal the victory. So I'm looking at a Jalen Brunson, and I'm saying to myself, this is what he brings to the table. There's no doubt about that. Mikhail Bridges showed up in the open court. When you let the. The brother flourish, what does he do? He gets it done. He gets it done. Anunoby can't say enough about the defense that he put on. Cade Cunningham held him like 32 shooting for the series. Carl Anthony Towns, not impressed with his offensive output. We need more, but we'll see what he does defensively. We'll see. So that's just where I'm at with it. I look at the New York Knicks, I'm very, very proud that they pulled this out, that they got out of the first round. No doubt about that. They advanced to the Eastern Conference second round, however, where they'll be playing against the Boston Celtics. All right, and I'll get to all of that some other time. For now, for this moment, however, I'm going to get to somebody you all seem to love, because he's got some things that he wants to say he's got some things that he wants to add, he wants to bring to the table. I can't imagine what he is. But you know what? It's Friday. I'm in a good mood. I don't mind letting my nephew come on the show. That's right, Nephew Josh. Joining me now to break it all down, here he is. What's up, Josh? How are you, man?
- [12:54]
Royce White
You see me, I'm in full celebratory mode.
- [12:57]
Stephen A. Smith
Are you see. Are you sitting. Are you sitting at my desk?
- [13:00]
Royce White
This is not your desk anymore. This is our desk. So it's funny, once again, you letting your friends off the hook. So JJ Redick is just allowed to. Like you said. He must be talking about Luka Doncic, isn't he?
- [13:18]
Stephen A. Smith
So that's one. That's one of the things he's. That's one of the people he's talking about.
- [13:21]
Royce White
Oh, well, Luka Doncic is so out of shape that JJ JJ Decided to play him. The most minutes on the team. He averages the most points on the team. Second and assists. No, first and assist and second and rebounds.
- [13:41]
Stephen A. Smith
Well, first of all, you're missing a point just because he played them. Because Luke is one of your best players and you have to play him. And JJ Reddick clearly showed that he wasn't willing to use his bench because he lost complete faith in all of them. He's just saying what you have to do because of how much you need it. He wasn't saying. He wasn't saying that the man is out of shape. He's a bum. He's saying that you got to be in championship shape to win a championship.
- [14:05]
Royce White
Oh, well.
- [14:06]
Stephen A. Smith
And that's actually factually correct.
- [14:09]
Royce White
What would J.J. redick know about that?
- [14:11]
Stephen A. Smith
Well, J.J. reddick didn't win a championship because he was never a star player, but he was always in shape and he was always considered one of the best shooters in basketball. And by the way, I'm not letting. I'm not letting him off the hook because, listen, he should have found a way to use his bench. How you gonna go a whole second half gate there and not use your bench once? That's egregious.
- [14:29]
Royce White
You gotta use your bench or not use a center. You wanna use a center. You can't stop nobody in the paint.
- [14:35]
Stephen A. Smith
He doesn't really have one. I mean, Jackson Hayes wasn't the answer. What are you gonna do?
- [14:39]
Royce White
Josh, that's the tallest. You play. The tallest player. You the coach.
- [14:43]
Stephen A. Smith
You gotta. No, you don't. No, no, no. No, no. There's plenty of tall players that were scrubs. There's plenty of tall players that weren't active enough that didn't handle their business the way that you would like them to. You can't go by that. Just because you tall don't mean you automatically get inserted into the lineup. I mean, listen, you trying to tell me there ain't nobody on Golden State that was taller than Draymond Green, but for the longest time they put Draymond Green out there and, and ask him to embrace the challenge of going up against bigger dudes simply because you didn't have Gu knew how to play into the system.
- [15:12]
Royce White
Does Rudy Gobert look like Hakeem Olajuon? If you have somebody out there with some hype? 12 for 15, 27.
- [15:20]
Stephen A. Smith
If they. If they. If they can't play. If they can't play, yes. Cuz Rudy Gobert is like what, three, four time defensive player of the year. But also, you know what a lot of putbacks and what have you. Listen, the Lakers could have got. They could have consummated the Mark Williams deal with Charlotte. They didn't do that. Okay. Talking about he failed some physical or whatever. They got to go out and get it big. We know they were too small. They didn't have the personnel, the team.
- [15:43]
Royce White
The teammates that they did have though. You're not going to play Jared Vanderbilt.
- [15:48]
Stephen A. Smith
I thought so. I mean, Big Perk made that. And I think you gotta throw. If you can throw out Dorian Finney Smith and you could throw out Rui Hachimora, you could throw Jared Vanderbilt out there. I think the. I think the problem is, is that Minnesota plays defense so well. You needed as much offensive firepower as you could possibly muster. Jarrett Vanderbilt doesn't have to be guarded. And that puts Minnesota. That puts the Lakers at a decided disadvantage when they're on offense.
- [16:16]
Royce White
So I feel like the guy that was doing the most work on the team is taking the most heat. Even you just saying that Nico is not looking so bad today. You still gave away Luka Doncic for Anthony Davis. You still looking bad?
- [16:30]
Stephen A. Smith
Well, that remains to be seen. Don't. What? What? What if Dallas makes the finals next year?
- [16:36]
Royce White
What if Dallas makes the finals?
- [16:37]
Josh
You.
- [16:38]
Royce White
You got Dallas.
- [16:39]
Stephen A. Smith
You don't think. Hold it. You don't think they have a chance?
- [16:42]
Royce White
No. And you.
- [16:44]
Stephen A. Smith
Do you know that? Do you know. Do you think OKC got a chance?
- [16:47]
Royce White
Okc?
- [16:48]
Stephen A. Smith
Yeah.
- [16:49]
Royce White
Yes.
- [16:50]
Stephen A. Smith
Do you see? Did you realize that not only did Dallas bounce them out in the playoffs last year, but did you know that in the two meetings that Dallas had this year without Luka, they beat okc?
- [17:03]
Royce White
Yeah, that's okc. Maybe they match up well with them, but I don't think they match up well with enough teams in the West. Dallas, to make it to the finals, to make it through everybody.
- [17:14]
Stephen A. Smith
All right, let me switch to the Knicks real quick. I know you excited about them. I see you drabbed out and you better have paid for that shit yourself. You better not have charged it to my card. I'm kick your ass. I'm telling you that right now. You better not. But let me ask you this question. Were you surprised that Knicks won last night?
- [17:30]
Royce White
Surprised? No.
- [17:32]
Stephen A. Smith
Yeah.
- [17:32]
Royce White
Nah.
- [17:33]
Stephen A. Smith
Okay. All right. Do you believe. Do you. Are you ready for this?
- [17:37]
Josh
Yeah.
- [17:38]
Stephen A. Smith
Do you believe that Jalen Brunson is the greatest Knick ever?
- [17:42]
Royce White
Oh, you wasn't here last year. I changed his name to mj. I call him Michael Jalen Brunson. I even put his head on the little dunk emblem. And because there's stats that show that, you know, he's right on that level of Michael Jordan. Like, you know, he may just be missing the Scottie Pippen, Phil Jackson all put together, but he might.
- [18:06]
Stephen A. Smith
There you go with your ignorance. He always crossing a damn line. You always going a little bit too far. Most 40 point series clinching wins on road in NBA history. Michael Jordan have four. Okay, he has two. Congratulations with that. We understand that D. Wade's up there, Charles Barkley's up there, Giannis is up there or whatever. Stop with the, stop with the Jordan comparison.
- [18:26]
Royce White
No, no. Can I do what you do? Go ahead. How long was Jordan in the league?
- [18:33]
Stephen A. Smith
Jordan was in the league for 15 years total 13 in Chicago.
- [18:36]
Royce White
So Jalen Brunson is about half that and he's half his 40 point game situation. So he's on the trajectory now.
- [18:43]
Stephen A. Smith
I'm just talking about his size and his overall game. He couldn't defend like Jordan. Jordan's a nine time all NBA def. Offensive player, ten times scoring champion. So stop. Just stop it. Don't, don't, don't display. Let me not show you how ignorant you are today, but let me ask you this. What do you think the Knicks are going to do against the Boston Celtics?
- [19:01]
Royce White
Well, we got to take you one game at a time. Brick by brick, we're going to break even in Boston and then we're going to break even in New York. It's step by step. We got to go seven games, we got to make it nasty. And yeah, we got to fight. And you got to stay out the Garden.
- [19:17]
Josh
Go ahead.
- [19:19]
Stephen A. Smith
So I have to stay out the Garden?
- [19:21]
Royce White
Yeah, you're not. You only show when we, you know, when we at the brink of winning a series or something like that. You don't be there through the wars and stuff.
- [19:30]
Stephen A. Smith
First of all, I've gone there during the regular season. I was on tv. I did a countdown from the Garden, for crying out loud. And I flew from LA to do the show from the Garden. That's number one. And that was the game they got blown out that game by Boston. Didn't even make it a competition. But I was there when they beat Philadelphia last year in the playoffs. Okay, I was there. I was there this season for a few games when they won as well. Don't put that on me. But I will say this. I think the Knicks are going to lose this series in five. And I'm hopeful, but I think they're going to lose.
- [20:02]
Royce White
First of all, you're talking to me. So when you mentioning them games that you went to, I know that it's for work. You don't go there because you want to. People like me pay our hard earned money to go. You got a free season.
- [20:12]
Stephen A. Smith
Hard earned money. You just lied. You just lied. First of all, hard earned money. I'm speaking hard earned money. Which one is it? You either stealing from me. You understand what I'm saying? Because that's what you do. You take my. You take my card and you talk. You. You build tickets and then you let me know that you built the tickets. You just said that last week. So which one is it? Is it your hard earned money or is it you saying I used your card?
- [20:33]
Royce White
I'm speaking for the masses. I spent. It's your money that gets me into the Knicks game. But I'm talking about, for the most part, the people in there spend their hard earned money. You get to come in for free and you barely do. You only come when we winning. We don't like it. Talk about the Lakers. You want to be where it's warm. You're not from there, you're from here. You see me representing us, right?
- [20:55]
Stephen A. Smith
I spent you just this. First time you wore that. This is the first time you wore that. So I've got. When I think about the Knicks, you don't know any better because you're a young whippersnapper. You're too damn young to appreciate it. But Bernard King, I know you've heard that name before. Patrick Ewan, Walt, Clyde Frazier, Earl of Pearl Monroe. People like that, you know, Carmelo Anthony, I would tell you that, you know, you got to put Walt Clyde Frazier, because that's, that's a, that's a guy that delivered a championship. Obviously it was several decades before you even born, but bottom line is that's what happened. That's the champion. Carmelo Anthony wanted that smoke. He was, he was damn good. But Jalen Brunson is next level. Ewan is there too. But Ewan was obviously continuous to Smackdown by Jordan. No shame in that. But I think what I hold against you and is how he got outplayed against Akeem Dream Olajuwon in the finals when the New York Knicks had a chance and they weren't and Jordan wasn't in their way. Then he let AEM get in his way. I can't, you know, I gotta look at that.
- [21:56]
Royce White
So. So what are you saying? That who, who's. Who's the best Nick ever? Because I did hear that conversation.
- [22:01]
Stephen A. Smith
I got. I would go to. I will go award Clyde Frazier. That's what I'm gonna go with. Until. That's right. That's what I'm gonna go with. That's what I'm gonna go with. A champion. A champion. That's what I'm gonna go with. But let me ask you this, man, before I let you get on outta here. What's this about? You had about some goat list or whatever. What's on your mind? What's that about?
- [22:20]
Royce White
Oh, like I got like a goat list. Like it's a new one. Cause we argue about LeBron and Jordan a lot, but it's people like Ant man that is like, he's on the trajectory. He's been on Minnesota, he was the number one pick. Every year he gets better. Every year he goes further. And it's like, at what point do we start to like, put them people in? Jokic, three MVPs already got a chair. Giannis, your MVPs defensive play the years we gotta start a new fluctuating list. You like to call it fluid. I'm gonna call it fluctuating. My words bigger than yours. And yeah, I think we should.
- [23:00]
Stephen A. Smith
Longer.
- [23:00]
Josh
Huh?
- [23:02]
Stephen A. Smith
Longer word, but go ahead.
- [23:04]
Royce White
Yeah, I think it's something that we could get into after every game. It could change up depending on what I feel like Shay is on.
- [23:10]
Stephen A. Smith
So in other words, you want to have a goat discussion, but you want it to be something that changes after every damn game.
- [23:17]
Royce White
Yeah, because that's what the goat. That's what the goat is. This whole Michael Jordan. This whole Michael Jordan Stuff. Y'all don't let go. Y'all don't let go. Nothing new could come in because we.
- [23:28]
Stephen A. Smith
Don'T want to let go of facts. We want to let go of facts.
- [23:34]
Royce White
The facts.
- [23:35]
Stephen A. Smith
We don't want to let go of facts. Josh, have you ever seen Michael Jordan play?
- [23:40]
Royce White
Yeah, you know I'm 36. Yes, I've seen Michael Jordan play. I'm just not moved. I was moved at the time.
- [23:48]
Stephen A. Smith
Did you say, you said you're not moved?
- [23:51]
Royce White
I was moved at the time. But now, now I know that y'all only show us the makes. What about the misses? He didn't win six straight finals.
- [24:00]
Stephen A. Smith
Yeah, he just. He won three. He three peated twice. And the two years that he didn't win was because he retired.
- [24:07]
Royce White
No, no, no. He. He lost to Orlando. I was there for that.
- [24:10]
Stephen A. Smith
Excuse me, excuse me. He lost in 90. He lost in 94. Right. And then 95. He came back with 17 games left in the regular season after playing baseball. I was there because he dropped a double nickel on the Knicks that year before the playoffs. You forgot about that, didn't you? That's right. Be quiet. Say goodbye to the audience. And that your Uncle Steve just had to school you and your novice.
- [24:34]
Royce White
We don't know about the 55 point game. It's not enough. Double nickel, LeBron 28 straight.
- [24:43]
Stephen A. Smith
Goodbye, Josh. Ladies and gentlemen, he has to go. I've got work to do. Coming up. Cinco de Mayo is a few days away and that means we need to keep an eye on boxing. I've got five fights this weekend we need to pay attention to. I'll break them down straight ahead. But first, he was a former NBA player, but now he's a GOP candidate for the United States Senate from the state of Minnesota. I'm talking about the one and only Royce White. One of the most compelling interviews I've ever had. I can't wait to y'all listen to him. I know I enjoyed it. Stay tuned. This is the Stephen A. Smith Show. Don't go away. 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've 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 on a few player stats. Choose from any of your favorite players. Luka Doncic, Jimmy Butler, and Zach Lavine all in the same entry. Then sit back and watch. The list is absolutely 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 five dollar lineup. Win or lose, you'll get 50 bucks. Just use promo code SAS and download Prize Picks right now. Again, download the app and use code SAs to get $50 instantly after your first five dollar lineup prize picks run your game. Time is precious and so are our pets. So time with our pets is extra precious.
- [26:17]
Josh
That's why we started Dutch.
- [26:19]
Stephen A. Smith
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- [26:25]
Josh
You can message a vet at any.
- [26:27]
Stephen A. Smith
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- [26:32]
Josh
Many ailments and shipping is always free.
- [26:35]
Stephen A. Smith
With Dutch, you'll get more time with your pets and year round peace of mind when it comes to their vet care. When you're a pro, you gotta do a little bit of everything. A little, a little and even a little. And it helps to have something that works as hard as you do. That's why Valspar has durable high coverage paint for every job, every time made for more Valspar pros. Head to Lowes today and talk to a pro rep about saving time and money on your next job with Valspar. Signature paint exclusions apply. See valsparpro.com for details. My next guest was selected as the 16th overall pick by the Houston Rockets in the 2012 NBA Draft today. He's in a different arena now as a GOP candidate for the U.S. senate from the state of Minnesota. Please welcome Mr. Royce White to the show to Stephen A. Smith Show. What's going on man? How you doing? How's everything?
- [27:37]
Josh
I'm good man. Thanks for having me on. I really appreciate it, man.
- [27:40]
Stephen A. Smith
Please, the pleasure is all mine. I'm always interested in hearing what somebody like yourself has to say. So you ran in 2024 in Minnesota against Amy Klobuchar. You lost that election, but you got 40% of the vote this time. Now you're campaigning to run for the Senate in 2026. First of all, why and most importantly, do you think you can win this time?
- [28:06]
Josh
Well, again, I want to say thank you for having me on. I appreciate it a great deal. And I also appreciate you having the great Steve Bannon on recently. That's what, you know, got me to reach out to you and try and talk to you as well. Bannon is obviously a friend of mine and an even better mentor. We, we call him the Happy Warri. He takes his scrutiny and his prosecution in some cases the, you know, witch hunt lawfare that's going on with a smile on his face. Me, I'm more the young bull kind of fire breathing, nationalist, populist, part of the, the Maga movement, the Young Maga movement. So I appreciate you even me giving me a platform. We know we've gone through a long time in this country where people like me couldn't speak as far as the elections go. Look, I think there are a lot of problems still with our elections, especially in Minnesota. I think letting illegal immigrants vote in elections, that's an issue here in the state of Minnesota as well as many other places in the country.
- [28:59]
Stephen A. Smith
Okay.
- [28:59]
Josh
Obviously, Donald Trump is fighting back against that and hopefully he can get some, some legislation with some teeth to help out on that front in 2026. Ultimately, we know the machines are an issue, and I don't say that as a conspiracy, although if you go to my Wikipedia, just a month back, it said American conspiracy theorist in the first sentence. But actually Amy Klobuchar, both Amy Klobuchar and I think Kamala Harris at the time had a demonstration before a senatorial committee back in 2018 that demonstrated the machines have security issues. At that time, they were trying to say the Russians could hack our elections now or after. In 2020, of course, the elections were completely safe. So what I'm doing it for and what Bannon sort of commissioned me to do is to be a younger voice that speaks to the growing wedge or divide in American politics and really politics all around the world, which a more proto globalist establishment, meaning a thought process that believes in global citizenship in a world without borders, for lack of, you know, more or less, versus a more nationalist mindset that says there is value in nationhood, there's value in the nation state, there's value in national identity and national citizenship. And that's what I've been doing since 2022. I tried to run against Ilhan in 2022. I lost the primary there. I came back in 24, won a statewide prime. Then it was only congressional district. 2024 was obviously statewide in a primary. And so we're moving the needle. And to be quite honest, the number one thing I want to say to you, Stephen A. Before we even get going, is what really drew me in to run as a Republican is how dishonest the narrative was about the Republican Party. If you remember Donald Trump coming down the escalator in 2015 16. His number one enemy was not the Democrat Party who he had fundraised for and had many friends in. The enemy was the proto globalist Republican establishment led by George Bush and the rest of his counterparts in that echelon of the Republican Party. And we're fighting the same thing here in Minnesota still to this day, that Republican establishment has a stronghold on the party and I represent the more grassroots movement that's fighting back.
- [31:19]
Stephen A. Smith
When you say you represent the more grassroots movement, is that your way of saying you've been disappointed in what conventional Republicans were doing up until the moment you decided to run in 2022 and then 2024, or are you just simply saying these times call for a different kind of Republican and that's what you want to represent?
- [31:39]
Josh
I'd say both to take a step back. A lot of people who are watching the show will probably know my name from being drafted, like you said, in my problems or my fight with the NBA. And we don't have time to go into all those miscarri misconceptions, though they are many. But I think they're much more interesting and important things for us to talk about, especially along policy. But it is important because my story back in 2012 was a microcosm of what we face today, and that was a proto globalist establishment media who, at the drop of a dime, was willing to protect the NBA even though they knew that I had a categorical winning position in that. In that fight for mental health policy. As you very well know, when I came in the league, there was no mental policy. Now there is one. In fact, the one they put in place in 2016 is one that I helped them develop.
- [32:32]
Stephen A. Smith
Absolutely.
- [32:33]
Josh
I actually added language to that. So I had a huge political victory, but it cost me a lot of money.
- [32:38]
Stephen A. Smith
And you were willing to go out front and fairness to you, you were willing to go out front and center and bring attention to something that a lot of people, the NBA. I don't. I'm not going to accuse them of purposely ignoring it as if they knew how detrimental it was and then chose to ignore it. I don't think anybody at that particular moment, moment in time, took mental health as seriously as you were imploring all of us to do. So that's definitely. We saw Chris Bosh later, we saw Kevin Love later, we saw Litany demar derozan and stuff like that. So you definitely deserve a lot of credit for that. I'm not here to take that from you, that's for sure.
- [33:10]
Josh
Well, and my point Is, well, I had some more behind the scenes conversations with the NBA higher ups. So I have a different experience with how much they knew and how much they didn't know. And I don't want to go into the details there. But, for example, what I was fighting for back then was something simple like, okay, if we have a banned substance list in the collective bargaining agreement, and on the band substance list, you have Xanax, it would behoove the general managers, coaches, players, agents, refs, and whoever else, team trainers to understand or at least have some sort of, you know, baseline knowledge of why is Xanax so widely prescribed? Why is it so easy for people to get it on the street? Why is Xanax so addictive, which ties into mental health and mental health conditions? The NBA wanted no part of that conversation because at the time, yeah, it was going to change the power dynamic politically within the league. And so what the story became is, well, Royce White just want. He's a prima donna. He wants special treatment. He wants to be able to bust from Minneapolis to Chicago. And it's funny, now I see all these players sitting out a season and a half with injuries or load management, and I'm thinking to myself, I would have never missed one game busing to a game, because that's just not my mentality. I'm tough as nails. I'm built kind of Midwest tough.
- [34:23]
Stephen A. Smith
That's what we knew you to be.
- [34:25]
Josh
And I played like that. Right?
- [34:26]
Stephen A. Smith
Right.
- [34:27]
Josh
So I, I got that grit to me. So I would have never missed a game. But. So that was how the narrative was manipulated. And I only bring that up to say this was four years before Donald Trump ever came down the escalator in stories like mine, laid the groundwork what for what would be an easy movement for a lot of young men like myself into what Donald Trump created. Right. So people go, well, why are you? How can you be maga? How are you Republican? I faced the fake news media firsthand, and it probably cost me more than $100 million well before Donald Trump ever added his name to the political arena.
- [35:03]
Stephen A. Smith
So I listen to you and let me be very, very clear. I'm not a Republican. I'm not a MAGA Republican, but I don't pride myself on being a liberal either. And when I saw you in the past being critical of some of the things that I said, I wasn't offended by it. It made me listen. I said, let me think about what he said. Because I know the inclination on the left is for somebody to be so put off Then all of a sudden, I don't want you around. I want you canceled. I don't want to listen to what you have to say. Hell with all of that. I think that's one of the problems that exist in this country, in my opinion. Opinion, Royce, on both sides. Meaning that I think two extremes where it doesn't encourage anybody to listen to one another and hopefully compromise. So when you brought up the fact that when you were a player, you felt like you couldn't be yourself, like you couldn't be open, rather about where you stood politically, et cetera, et cetera, I want you to elaborate from a political perspective on what it was like for you as a black man, being somebody that leans towards the GOP even before maga, what that has been like for you as a black man in America.
- [36:15]
Josh
Well, again, you know, Donald, the advent of Donald Trump and the MAGA movement is the, the split or the, the schism in, in modern day American politics, global politics, that is, is two things. On the left are the Democrats and the liberals. And I come from a culturally Democrat Black community in St. Paul, Minnesota, you know, working class blue. So I'm very familiar with why black people continue to vote Democrat with the thought process. But the thinking is something like, is the left, is the left, let's say even the far left, which some people call extremely radical, but let's say the AOC Bernie Sanders wing of the party, are they a genuine anti establishment economic populist movement or are they a radical sexual identity politics movement? And so where, even before Donald Trump, where I was critical of the NBA and saying, hey, this, this institution is the, the watering hole for global corporate community and their morals and ethics and standards and their business practices have implications downstream from the institution. There were a lot of people who were traditionally liberal or Democrat that were all in support. They were fans, they were saying, hey, yeah, we support this guy. He's saying the right things. He's asking good questions. But the establishment that controls the media was not going to let that be the prominent or dominant story. So, and I bring that up because again, if you fast forward, what Donald Trump and the MAGA movement really represents is a rejection of the institutions and the establishments that have had control of this country for the last 70 years, since World War II. I love when Eric Weinstein, Eric Weinstein is the brother of Brett Weinstein. And he's not a far right wing Republican by any means. He's like nominally Democrat.
- [38:01]
Stephen A. Smith
Okay.
- [38:02]
Josh
He's, I think he was the co managing director of Teal Capital and he's, he's a brilliant mathematician and he said it best. He goes, you know, the democracy that they mentioned for the people, by the people and of the people, is not the democracy they mean when they talk about it today. What they're talking about when they say democracy is being threatened are the democratic institutions that were erected after World War II and serve as the load bearing walls for this globalist vision of the world. And I was already pushing back on that in 2012 without even realizing it, without being able to give a name to it. And I didn't understand as being on the side with liberals and Democrats why I was facing such a, you know, a difference of, of reaction to fighting with the NBA. Later on. I would real. As soon as Donald Trump came down the escalator and then later in 2020, when George Floyd died and I was on the, I was on the ground, I was in the streets, I knew exactly what had happened. It clicked for me. And after that, it wasn't even a question of whether with the Republican Party or not.
- [39:04]
Stephen A. Smith
Allow me to interject by saying this, I want to be very respectful when I ask this question because I'm not pointing to you specifically, but I'm pointing to the MAGA movement per se. And one of the issues that I have with it. This seems to be this fealty, this undying, unwavering loyalty to Donald Trump. And my attitude is, is that not. And I'm not saying again, you feel that way. You can answer that question yourself. I wouldn't disrespect you like that, bro. But what I'm saying is, is that it comes across when you listen to a lot of people talk about MAGA in that regard. Is that a safe kind of mentality to have? Because my attitude is, okay, let's say, for example, you feel that way, the Donald Trump. Let's say it's completely, completely justified. Let's not even debate that. Right? He's still supposed to be going to 2028. Where does that leave this country? If everybody is feeling that way about him as opposed to policy, I would like us to focus more on policy than people. I'm talking about as a nation. And I don't think we do enough of that to that you say what.
- [40:12]
Josh
That I say I 1000% agree. If you listen to my podcast, please call me crazy. Myself and the other co hosts who I have have as a part of the, the, the crew, we always talk about policy and politics in America being more policy driven and idea driven than they are personality and person driven.
- [40:28]
Stephen A. Smith
Okay.
- [40:28]
Josh
However, Donald Trump just. And look, if Donald Trump does something I don't agree with, I'm the first one to criticize him. There is no undying loyalty to Donald Trump. The person. What I do have a loyalty to is his courage to step up and say things that are inconvenient because I, I, I, I. It resonates with me because I did it. That's what you do. That's what you. So I have, I just have to respect that on, on gp on general principle. But if he waivers and if he starts to not be America first or what I think is MAGA and actually, you know, representing the nationalist populist movement that needs to happen in this country, I'll criticize him. And in fairness to him, I don't think he's going to do everything right, because who can? I certainly can. If I was president, I would want people to say, hey, is he doing a good job overall? Because he can't do everything right. That's impossible. But, but I, I will say going forward, the. One of the main reasons I'm doing this and one of the main reasons I appreciate doing what Royce.
- [41:25]
Stephen A. Smith
Doing what?
- [41:25]
Josh
Running for office. Running for office and being involved in the political conversation. Sure. And the reason I appreciate you having me on is I do believe that even in the MAGA movement, even in the Republican Party or conservative movement, there needs to be a deeper dive into the intellectual foundation framework of the ideas that we're calling our platform. Because there's a lot of contradictions in there. And where those contradictions lie is where I still have to fight with the Republican Party inside. It's where Donald Trump has to often fight with the Republican Party inside. So, yes, I agree with you a thousand percent. It needs to be more about ideas and less about the person. But, but Donald Trump did, he did stand up when we needed him to, and he was touched by God. In my opinion, him not being assassinated that day, three bullets going by his face, can't be anything other than an act of God. If you deny that, then I don't want to stand next to you because the bolt of lightning may become. I'm being facetious, but you know what I'm saying.
- [42:24]
Stephen A. Smith
How do you feel Donald Trump has done in his first hundred days in office?
- [42:28]
Josh
I think he's brought a wrecking ball to what I was just mentioning. What it's called is the post World War II Democrat liberal order. And when I realized what it was and what it intended to do, it became clear to me why The Democrat Party or the liberal establishment has had such a stronghold on the media and the narrative and politics in this country. And by that, I also mean George Bush and the. In the. The mainstream establishment Republicans. He. He is trying to reorient the entire global. The entire global landscape to have America stand up for what you would call national identity. And not just identity, because identity is a fickle thing, but more so citizenship. You know, it was not a benign phenomenon or, you know, creation to come up with borders. Many people think of borders as, you know, powerful people dividing land on a map to be able to conquer and. And, you know, pillage whatever natural resources or wealth that they can. And in many cases in history, that is the case. But borders also have a much deeper spiritual meaning that we have to acknowledge, and that is a man without boundaries, a man without limits is a man who believes that he's God. And.
- [43:51]
Stephen A. Smith
Yeah, okay, I don't disagree, but let me. Let me push back on you with this, okay? You'll get no argument from me about the job he's done at the border. There was no excuse for us to have open borders in this nation.
- [44:02]
Josh
Which. Wait, wait, which part don't you agree with? Let me. I want to try. I want to.
- [44:06]
Stephen A. Smith
No, no, no, no. I'm not saying any part that you said that I disagree with. I'm talking about pushing back in terms of some of the. Some of the things that I wanted to bring up about him. Not. You got it. I have no problem with him on immigration. I think he's done an outstanding job on immigration. I think it was necessary. Do. I think it's a bit extreme sometimes when you're taking somebody, if it's a student protesting and you're deporting him and what have you, when the courts are telling you no, don't do it, I got a problem with that because I'm care. I'm. I'm. I'm concerned that you can ignore the courts and you can act of your own accord because that's not what this nation of laws is built on, in my estimation. However, I'm looking at the economy. Ooh, I don't know. I mean, he's saying it's doing better. That's not what I'm hearing. I'm looking at the tariffs. I have no problem with him going after China. But you going after allies, too, at least initially. And you had the allies, you know, commingling and talking with China because they were thinking they were going to be allies with China now because they were turning against you. I'm worried about that. I'm thinking about dei and I'm like, I don't like. And Royce, oh, I hope you're with me on this one. Diversity, equity, and inclusion. Here's the argument that I have made. Didn't earn it. That's what DEI stands for for me. Didn't earn it. Right, right. And I'm like, why does DEI automatically have to be associated with merit? Who's to say some of those people didn't have the merit warranting them to get hired? As a black man in America, I'm quite sure you've seen, as I have seen, plenty of qualified black folks that weren't getting opportunities because of the white establishment, but they seem to be ignoring that right now. To all of that, floor is yours.
- [45:43]
Josh
Okay, well, let me take it piece by piece. I'll start from the end and work my way back.
- [45:49]
Stephen A. Smith
No problem.
- [45:49]
Josh
Number one, you will never hear me pander to this right wing narrative that racism in this country doesn't exist. That's ridiculous. It's absurd. It's something that is cheap, kind of WWE politics. It's what they serve you on Fox News and cnn. That's the conventional and proverbial battle of. Of political clash in America. Is it racist or is it not?
- [46:14]
Stephen A. Smith
Right?
- [46:14]
Josh
There's racism in America. There's no doubt about it. There's been racism in the past. The question is, what is the answer? What's the solution? And I do believe that there are people who may have benefited from DEI programs, or, let's say, affirmative action, to take it back to something that has real teeth, who, who did have the merit and got in with those programs. The question becomes, and. And this is what really opened my eyes when George Floyd died. I was as appalled and shocked as anybody. And now I do think that Derek Chalvin's prosecution was political. Okay, okay. They prosecuted him because they wanted the. The riots to stop in the streets. They didn't want to have to have any more conversations or riots or. Right, so the prosecution was political. But I'm always. I am not, quote unquote, loyal to a thin blue line and police backing at any and all, or any and all circumstances. Not my deal. My deal is something more biblical, like when Paul said to the centurion guard, I'm a Roman citizen. Do you have the right to bind and beat a Roman citizen who has not yet seen court? And I think Donald Trump in the, in the MAGA movement is now more privy to the dangers of a police state and a security state. Than letting the courts have more power or let's say the justice system, for lack of a better be more, all encompassing the justice system to have more power than they're supposed to. And so we're still working out that Gordian knot. Now, to back up to what you said about the border and the immigrants, here's the thing. The courts have long been politicized. They've long been politically weaponized. And we got into that when we started letting presidents who are party loyal appoint judges. And it happened on both sides and there started to be this game of who has the political power in the judiciary with judge appointments. I'll say this. When a country is in the place that our country was at, it is very difficult for me to continue to believe in the rule of law, even though my Republican counterparts have such a dying loyalty to the Constitution. They all say rule of law, rule of law, democracy. Listen, your rule of law is only as good as the lawmakers who uphold it. That's true. If your lawmakers aren't righteous, then there is no rule of law. Right. And what we saw the, the Democrat establishment that also includes some very rhino we call them, or rats, I call them Republicans against Trump. Republicans that have more loyalty to the liberal order than they do to the Republican ideas or the Republican Party. We have seen some very dangerous things happen in this country in the legal system. Steve Bannon's prosecution was one of them. Obviously, we don't have to go into detail, but Merrick Garland and, and you know, Eric Holder and all these guys also denied being subpoenaed and speaking of before the Congress and they didn't serve a day in jail. They give Steve Bannon four months. Why? Because he's powerful, because he speaks the truth and because he represents a change of the brand of the Republican Party that neither the Republican Party or Democrat Party want to see. So I have to support Donald Trump in some sort, in some instance. And playing hardball and smash mouth with the courts and saying, wait a minute, we're not going to play this game and pretend like the courts are level. And guess what? As a black man, and for many young black men who are leaning towards the Republican Party and Donald Trump, we know the courts to be unjust. We just didn't understand the depths of it. It, we didn't realize it could happen to the white Republicans who we have as boogeymen in our heads. And that's why when Donald Trump was arraigned and, and they, they, they booked him, it was a brilliant move by Him. As soon as they booked him, there were blacks and Hispanics and Asians and all kinds of minorities across this country that said, damn, Damn that corrupt system. When George Floyd died, they chanted, the whole system is guilty. Damn, that system is. Is really guilty. And guess what? Now some white folks are starting to feel it, too. And praise be to God for that, because now we're starting to cross the Rubicon where we see the real danger and threat to freedom getting back to George Floyd.
- [50:22]
Stephen A. Smith
And I know you keep bringing up Steve Banning and how. And how he was wrong and how, you know, how you feel about him. I have to confess to you, I'm not comfortable with a lot of things that Steve Bannon said. But that, brother, that man is smart as hell. He knows what he's talking about. And you better bring the rain information wise, if you gonna deal with him. Because I say this. He means what he says, all right? And he has information to back it up. So he. I had to go back and watch his show like two or three times and listen to everybody. I'm like, damn, I got to watch this guy right here because he's not a joke and he's not playing around. But I'll get back to you, Royce, with George Floyd, because when he was killed by police officer Derek Chauvin, you led what you called a peaceful protest, but said the mainstream media misrepresented those efforts. How did they do that?
- [51:14]
Josh
I mean, this is a very important node in my own journey. Both. Both as a young man in general, but. But certainly politically. You got to remember, I. I fought against the NBA. I got blackballed. Later on, I would go to live in Canada for two years and play in Canada. This was 2015, 16, and 17. I was living in London, Ontario. And it was around the time that Jordan Peterson encountered his troubles with. With the government there around B6B, Bill C16, which was A. An argument about gender identity in. In legislation, essentially. And I remember watching. Look, I grew up in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It's one of the more gay communities in the country. My mom was an esthetician. My whole life. She worked to pay bills our rent with her tips. Okay, so I grew up in the hair salon and in the spa world and in the beauty business. And I knew and grew up knowing gay men. And it was very different back in the 90s than it is today, I'll say that. But I wasn't unfamiliar with the gay community. Also, playing basketball, you meet a lot of female basketball players who are lesbian, and that's fine. That's their choice. All good point I'm making is I wasn't familiar with this transgender pronoun thing. And I was in Canada and I remember watching the news, like, man, this guy Jordan Peterson sounds logical, saying reasonable, actually really smart, to be honest. And I don't understand why they're attacking them. But I was playing basketball and we won two national championships in Canada back to back. So you know how you watch things. Yeah, you know, kind of. But you're. It's in passing. Okay. I come back to the States in 2018, 19. I joined the big three. And I'm talking about all these political issues in the Big Three. Edward Snowden and Julian Assange and the Federal Reserve and so on and so forth. And the Uyghurs, okay, the Uyghurs in China, that their, their persecution. And so when 2020 hit and George Floyd died, I, I was like, I know what's going to happen here. This is going to be one of the biggest. I could just feel it. This is going to be one of the biggest things in American history. And it's right here in my backyard where I grew up. I mean, 36, 38th in Chicago, on the south side of Minneapolis. I used to run the streets and play at the parks and, and, you know, my whole life. So it's home, home. So I went to the front line because there were all of these people organizing these protests who I didn't know from being from the city. I didn't know them from any weights. I didn't know them from any weddings. I didn't know them from any barbecues. I didn't know them from any of the grade schools or the after school programs or the basketball team. I didn't know them. And so it was odd to me. And then when I researched them, I realized a lot of these community activists were in ports from colleges, you know, in California or somewhere else that were given a position by politicians who had been elected. Okay? So I'm out on the streets and I'm saying, listen, we're gonna go to the front door of the Federal Reserve. You all believe that the problem in this country is policing. The problem is not policing. The problem is how the money works. And if we want to talk about follow the money or the whole system being guilty, I can show you just how guilty it is. Is the Federal Reserve is the epitome of corruption in America and it has a downstream effect on every working class citizen, including blacks, Latinos, and everybody else up and down in between. So when I did that naturally, people were excited to see me lead. And they're like, oh, Royce White's out here. And look at. There's 10,000 people with him. How did he do that? That. And they even wrote stories about me in Washington Post and whatnot. And they were like, hey, he's a rising young activist. When I was out there, I heard something that just blew my mind. Black Trans Lives Matter. I didn't even know what trans meant at the time, to be honest. Stephen A. I had no clue. And I didn't push back on it right away because I didn't know what it meant to push back.
- [55:06]
Royce White
Right?
- [55:07]
Josh
But when I. When it. When they explained to me that I needed to organize these demonstrations and who spoke at these demonstrations based on people's sexual identity and sexual preference, boom. Me and the local community activists in Minnesota were at odds. And I didn't back down because, you know, there's no back down in me, right? And that. And I said, that's the story. So when George Floyd died, I led these protests. And the local activists who had already been here as an extension of blm, they didn't want to, you know, have anything to do with me because I wasn't pro LGBTQ pronouns. And so there was another instance where the. The bubbling up of the black men in this country who have come to reject the lunacy on the far left happened right there in 2020 in the streets of Minneapolis. And the mainstream media never covered it that way. They don't want you to know that a young black man who didn't graduate college came from a single mother household in a blue collar community, can tell you how global finance works.
- [56:07]
Stephen A. Smith
As a member of the media for decades, I can't even disagree with you. There is no doubt that there was stuff that folks did not want to discuss. I was covering sports, so it was different for me. But I'm just saying there was no doubt that you're absolutely right that there was so much stuff being covered up. And I got to get a little bit uncomfortable with you for a second here. During the 2024 campaign, you raised controversy with what they labeled as anti Semitic remarks. I don't know what you said. I didn't know anything about that. Civil judgments for unpaid child support and a finance report that showed more than 1 million of donor money went to credit card fees, which was nearly 70% of your 1.43 million in operating expenses. First of all, is that stuff true? If it's false, say so. And number two, to Minnesotans out there there who would use that information, obviously emanating from the left about you to decide how they're going to vote. Why should they vote for you at this moment in time? Floor is yours.
- [57:11]
Josh
Okay. Well, number one, I hope I get a little bit of time to, to explain the three of those thoroughly, because they're very important.
- [57:17]
Stephen A. Smith
Please.
- [57:18]
Josh
But I will. I will say that it's not the left. It's not emanating from the left. Those stories, those, those lies and rumors are emanating from the establishment gop, who's more afraid of a young black man talking about the Federal Reserve than they are in AOC or Ilhan Omar. In fact, a lot of the establishment GOP loves Ilhan Omar because they raise a lot of money off of her. They're more afraid of me being in office than they are keeping Ilhan Omar in. And they're afraid of me saying that. They're afraid of me being on your show and saying it to your audience because this is, this is the real politic of America. Okay, okay, let me go back.
- [57:48]
Stephen A. Smith
Sure.
- [57:49]
Josh
Number one, you asked me about the, the, the, the credit card processing. That's, that's from this campaign, not the 2024 campaign. That's from 2026.
- [58:02]
Stephen A. Smith
Okay.
- [58:02]
Josh
And, and how that works, in short, is the establishment Republicans like Tom EMMER Or Mitch McConnell or used to be Kevin McCarthy, now probably Mike Johnson and many of the others who have a lot of power there in D.C. when you go to run and you run under a certain political party affiliation, they have access to the Republican Party donor data, and they are usually unwilling to give that data, give open access to that data to candidates who they think are a threat to their established power base. That would be me. Me and Tom Emmer. We don't get along. We're adversaries. We're both Republicans, but we don't like each other. And I don't make any qualms about it. I think he's a globalist, just like Hakeem Jeffries. And that's why, if you go to Apex Landing page, I'll get to your anti Semitic question in a moment.
- [58:47]
Stephen A. Smith
Okay.
- [58:48]
Josh
If you go to Apex Landing page, you'll find there are six politicians represented on that landing page. Mike Johnson, Scalise, Tom Emmer, Hakeem Jeffries, Katherine Clark and Aguilar. There's no better example of what we call the UNI Party than those six politicians. One of them happens to be here in Minnesota, so they don't give you access to those lists. So we, as candidates who are Kind of rogue, kind of, you know, out there in the wilderness on our own. Have to do third party deals with bundlers. And these bundlers charge a high commission. Now they charge a high commission on the first donation. So let's say Stephen A. Smith supports Royce White. You get an email from these bundlers, you send me a hundred dollars, they'll take 85 the first time. Now your name is on my list. When I send you the next email, I get 100 or 95 of the. Of the donation. Okay. So that the. So the credit card processing fees are. Because on first pass, I was able to raise that much money with the people we came into contact with, but they took a big piece of it. Okay, now to go back to your question about anti Semitism, because I think it might be the most important one. When I, when I announced my campaign in 2022, I did it in front of the Federal Reserve. I was trying to run against ilhan Omar for CD5 congressional district 5, basically greater Minneapolis. And that's actually where the Fed is located, downtown Minneapolis on Hennepin. So. So when I announced my campaign, my run for Congress, I did it in front of the Fed and the Star Tribune, which is the local newspaper record here in Minneapolis, asked me about globalism and my. And you can go look this up for anybody who wants to fact check me. The. The article's still up. They asked me what I meant by globalism, and I said it's an economic attack on the nation state and its citizens, mostly the working class. They wrote that globalism, to even say globalism is a dog whistle for anti Semitism. And that just blew my mind. I mean, it just, it blew my mind. And it's something that's carried on alongside of me because the Republican Party has this strange obsession with Israel in which they are unable to see the very obvious contradiction in how they talk about all other issues except this one. And I just won't do that with them. Now. Do I recognize the biblical significance of Israel? Absolutely. Do I have Jewish friends? Yes. One of my business partners and my co host on Please Call Me Crazy Sometimes is David Penn. Professor Penny has a great podcast, too. He's a Ukrainian Jew. He's like family to me. So I have a bunch of people in my life who are Jewish who are like family to me, really. So I'm not anti Semitic at all. But, but it is an example of how they. And I don't mean they as in the liberal left media, they'll piggyback off of it. But this was that. That was more intended to disenfranchise me to the. The Republican evangelical voter out there who hears anything anti Semitic and they automatically turn the channel.
- [61:51]
Stephen A. Smith
So essentially, because I got to get ready to get on out of here. But that's the bad news. The good news is that, my brother, this will not be the last time you will be on this channel. I don't play that mess. I'm fair minded. What I don't understand, I don't understand. I'm open about it. I admit it. And I'm open to learning from both sides of the aisle. That's me. And by the way, ain't nobody gonna silence your voice on this show. Everything you said is gonna go is gonna be over the airwaves. Trust me on that. All right, let me end this by asking you this question, though. You just talked about the GOP establishment essentially, and to some degree, that's against you. You know how the left would feel about you, because you're on the opposite aisle. All right. When you consider the climate that we're living in, how are you going to get it done? How are you going to win this election in Minnesota?
- [62:41]
Josh
Well, brother, I appreciate you having me on, and I'll come back on anytime. I love what you're doing. I love that you're starting to have, you know, descending voices on the. On the platform and show. I can't tell you how important it is, and I can't tell you how grateful I really am because. Because it's not about me. It's about the entire conversation being opened up to some things that people need to hear. And, and this is probably most important, Royce.
- [63:04]
Stephen A. Smith
I never had this platform before when I was doing sports. You know, I mean, if you look at. If you look at the diversity that comes on espn, I got a lot to do with that. I have this platform that I own and operate, and I'm getting into politics. I never had to do it before. So this. I've always been this guy. I've always been willing to listen to both sides.
- [63:21]
Josh
Thoughts? Thank you. And I appreciate it greatly. And look, this GOP thing is probably the most important. The, the mainstream media for. For so long has created a WWE politics narrative where you have Republicans and Democrats and they hate each other. They fight mostly the unit party of Republicans and Democrats who protect the Post World War II Democrat liberal order, or what they call the International Rules Based order, work together behind the scenes to create legislation that destroyed the value of American citizenship. I stand against that uniparty. And so what The GOP has functioned as is a. And Donald Trump has changed this. He took it over. He punched him in the gut, and now they have to eat crow and bend the knee. And I kind of enjoy watching it because they all tried to take him out. And this was Christie and Romney and Cheney. I mean, how did the Democrats ever side with Dick Cheney? The guy's a convicted. He's. He should be a convicted war criminal, and he's definitely a warmonger.
- [64:18]
Stephen A. Smith
Iraq.
- [64:20]
Josh
But anyway, the. The point is that what they functioned as is a vanguard to keep minorities out of the Republican Party. They are the outer bastion of New world order. The. The Minnesota gop. This is what they tell you. We got to get new voters, we got to get new Republicans. But they don't want to go down into the Twin Cities. And then they'll say, well, Royce has too many Twin Cities roots. We can't trust that he's actually Republican. And then the white rural Republicans who are Christian or whatever else the case may be, libertarian, whatever, when they try and come into the party after being motivated by Donald Trump's, you know, movement, they try and keep them out. So what are they actually functioning as? They are functioning as the controlled opposition intended to make sure black people, young black men specifically, never find their way into the party. They should have rightfully always been in and had a very, very important influence in. And guess what? I'm not here to fight that battle with the entirety of American politics. All I can do in Minnesota and on your show and anywhere else, tell people the truth, give you the facts, the history, Post World War II Democrat, liberal order. This was the. The restructuring of the global finance system, Bretton woods conference, the World bank, the dollar, and all of the other stuff in between. Right. Mostly predicated on national security and foreign policy, you know, and this was when you said allies early. I don't want to go back to that. We'll talk about another time. But when you said our allies, I'm not so sure they're our allies.
- [65:59]
Stephen A. Smith
Okay?
- [65:59]
Josh
The European Union has to. Has to decide the fate of the European Union, and it can't be on the backs of the American working class, because the Europeans have a working class that need to pay up as well. So that's what we're fighting against. That's what I'm fighting against. I appreciate the time. I don't know if I can win in Minnesota, but I'm 34 years old. I started early for a reason. I'm going to keep going until my heart stops beating and I tell the truth. And guess what? The people get to decide. If. If you want to vote for another Amy Klobuchar, then I tell people, hey, you get the government you deserve. I guarantee you this. I would represent people in a much more honest way than maybe any politician that I could. That I could name.
- [66:38]
Stephen A. Smith
I can respect that. I have to listen to that. I can't ignore that. Last question. Very last question. I need a quick answer here. Royce, I'm gonna put you on the spot. There is no MAGA movement. There is no Donald Trump. Which side would you fall on? Considering what you said about the left and what you said about the GOP if there were no Donald Trump, Steve Bannon, MAGA movement, which side would you.
- [67:03]
Josh
Would you favor so close to Steve Bannon? It's hard for me to say that.
- [67:07]
Stephen A. Smith
No, no, I'm saying if you. I say if you take. I said if you take him away, take him out of the mix, take Trump out of the mix, take MAGA out of the mix is just a conventional GOP that you decried. And the left, who you rolling with?
- [67:20]
Josh
Well, without Donald Trump, I'd have to say I'd run independent, or I would have tried to fight my way up to the top of the Democrat Party and been smacked down the way I think you may run into, actually, in fact, if you run on the Democrat side, but I'd have to say independent, and I probably would have had a very tough time winning as an independent in any office all across the country, because the party or the independent just doesn't have that political power and machine and sort of tribalness to it. So. But without a Donald Trump, the Republican Party is the Republican Party of George Bush, and there is no greater threat to freedom and American stability than the neocon warmongering of the George Bush types in the Republican Party.
- [68:01]
Stephen A. Smith
Wow. Royce White, candidate for senator for the state of Minnesota. Man, listen, I didn't expect this kind of conversation. I wanted to introduce you to my audience as a potential senator in 2026. I can't tell you how much I enjoy talking to you. We'll get into what you've been critical about me with next time and all when we got more time. But I'm all good with you. I mean, I think that what you're saying is you've given us a lot of food for thought, man, and I sincerely thank you for that. And this will not be the last time I will have you on, because I think America needs to hear more of what you have to say, especially before the election. As we look forward to picking our politicians, electing them, holding them accountable, et cetera, we need to hear from people like you more. So you always have a home on this show, my brother. Thank you so much for being on the show and I'll talk to you soon.
- [68:52]
Josh
Thank you, brother. Godspeed to you. Appreciate it.
- [68:54]
Stephen A. Smith
Talk to you soon. One only Royce White right here with Stephen A. Smith. Coming up, the president of the United States of America himself told me in a national television audience he would love to see me run in 2028. But first, the biggest boxing weekend in recent memory begins tonight in Times Square. At least five five big time fighters in the ring this weekend and I want to talk about them. That's next right here on the Stephen A. Smith Show. Time is precious and so are our pets. So time with our pets is extra precious.
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Josh
That's why we started Dutch.
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Stephen A. Smith
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Stephen A. Smith
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Stephen A. Smith
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- [70:26]
Stephen A. Smith
Welcome back to Stephen A. Smith Show. Now let's talk about some boxing on Cinco de Mayo weekend that features five big fights in three unique locations. The first location will be in a ring ring that will be set up in Times Square in New York City, right in the heart of Times Square. That's where Ryan Garcia will face Rolando Raleigh Romero, Devin Haney will take on Jose Ramirez and Teofimo Lopez will square off with Arnold Barboza Jr. In a Super lightweight title bout. That's all happening tonight and if Haney and Garcia both win their bouts, they're expected to have a rematch next. Then on Saturday, Canelo Alvarez will try to unify all four major super middleweight world titles when he takes on IBF champion William Skull in Riyaj, Saudi Arabia. Perhaps the biggest fight of the weekend is Japanese star the Monster himself, Naoye Inoue in a rare fight on uso, defending his undisputed junior featherweight championship against Ramon Cadenis. This man is universally considered a top three to five pound for pound fighter on the planet Senate and is fighting in the United States for only the fourth time and first time since 2021. And no UA is no joke. He's that big time. I love the fact that they're doing something different in boxing, like having a fight in Times Square. I love the fact that Teofimo Lopez is on a card. I'm not that excited about Haney and Brian Garcia ultimately meeting one another again because let me be very, very clear where I stand on Haney. Haney, we saw him get beat up by Ryan Garcia. That's not my issue. Obviously. Ryan Garcia is fighting for the first time. He got suspended for a while. You know, they were saying he was using the wrong substances or whatever it is. Here's the deal. We saw you lose. And what Devin Haney needs to understand is that your marketability was hurt. Hurt big time. And I'm not gonna lie to you. I blame. I blame him, but mostly I blame his father for allowing it to happen. At the time Devin Haney lost to Ryan Garcia, he was 30 0. He was undefeated. He was the champion, okay? He had just defeated Cambosis, okay? He was the champion. Ryan Garcia wants to resurrect himself after losing to Javante Davis. What the hell are you betting him? A half a million dollars for every pound he's overweight. Weight. If over. If being overweight made him that much bigger and stronger come fight night, then why would you agree to that? Why would you co sign that? Why would you bet him on that? So to me, the one blemish on Devin Haney's record he brought on himself because you should have never allowed Ryan Garcia to enter the ring. Overweight, meaning beyond the weight limit, you're the champion. He meets the criteria or he doesn't fight you, you period. That's what Javonte Davis made him do. But you didn't do that, Devin Haney, and that's why you have that one blemish on your record. And so now I guess if you meet Ryan Garcia, if both of y'all win, y'all respect the fights tonight and there's a rematch down the line. Yeah, we'll watch it because it's a compelling, interesting fight. But anything outside of a spectacular knockout, no one's gonna really want to hear anything. Because you shouldn't have let them fight you to begin with. With. As for Canelo Alvarez, William Skull, really, William Skull. I mean no disrespect, but even the damn name sounds boring. You're Canelo Alvarez. Is Cinco de Mayo. Yeah. Your Mexican contingent is going to follow you anywhere you go. I get it. But when you going to fight David Benavidez? I think that if Terence Crawford fought Canelo Alvarez, I think that he could outbox Canelo Alvarez. I think because he could outbox Canelo Alvarez, he could likely win by decision. But I can't see him hurting Canelo Alvarez. I can't see that happening. And I'm looking at Skull's record there. Obviously, that's one of the reasons he's fighting Skull. Can those fighting Skull. He's only got nine knockouts. I mean, come on. David Benavidez is the Mexican monster, coined that name by the great Mike Tyson. The man is undefeated. The man is a super lightweight champion. Now he's dethroning everybody at the light heavyweight division. It shouldn't come to that. David Benavides should be in the ring with Canelo Alvarez at some point in time. When are the people, when is the Latino community going to demand that Canelo fight David Benavides? Number one, It's a fight we all want to see. And number two, to my Latino brothers and sisters out there, last time I checked, right, David Benavidez is. Is of Latin ancestry himself. Why don't y'all look out for that brother? Let him get his shot at the crown. Why is Canelo Alvarez, who I love, by the way, but I don't like what he's doing to David Benavidez. You can't continue to ignore this guy. This is the fight we want to see. The only reason why David Benavides is up at light heavyweight is because Canelo won't fight him. Something gotta be said. I can't believe that the Hispanic community hasn't called Canelo out for not fighting Benavidez. This is the fight we want. The boxing world wants that fight, and David Benavidez has earned it, ladies and gentlemen. He's a knockout artist, and he's undefeated at the same weight class that Canelo Alvarez is defending his belts tonight. And he's been begging Canelo Alvarez to fight him for years. What y'all gonna do about that? I'm talking to my brothers and sisters in the Hispanic community. What y'all gonna do about that? Yeah, Canelo's your brother. So is David Benavidez, what's up? That's all I'm saying. That's why you want to see. I'm not going to get to your tweets today because I'm not interested, because I got something else on my mind I want to address, and it's regarding the president of the United States of America, is a recent endorsement I received earlier this week. Week, for those of you who didn't see it, it was this past Wednesday night on News Nation on Chris Cuomo show Cuomo on News Nation, myself, Chris Cuomo, Bill O'Reilly, it's a town hall and the president was kind enough to call in, Courtesy of Bill O'Reilly, by the way. He deserves credit for that. And Bill O'Reilly, being his instigating self, brought my name up, up as a presidential helpful. I did not ask him to do that. I did not want him to do that. And I certainly didn't care to have any kind of endorsements from anybody. But listen to the exchange between the president of the United States and yours truly. Stephen A. Smith may run for president, as you know. Do you have any advice for Stephen A. If he, if he launches the run? No step even A is a good guy.
- [78:12]
Josh
He's a smart guy.
- [78:13]
Stephen A. Smith
I love watching him. He's got great entertainment skills, which is very important. People watch him. You know, a lot of these Democrats I watch, I say they have no chance. I've been pretty good at picking people and picking candidates, and I will tell you, I'd love to see him run.
- [78:28]
Josh
All right.
- [78:28]
Stephen A. Smith
There you go. Oh, God. That is the last. Oh, my Lord. I mean, I can't stop. Everywhere I've been, everybody's been asking me about it. But obviously, regardless of how some of you feel about him, he's still the president of the United States. And if the president of the United States sits up there and says something like that, it counts for something. I mean, what I say. And I just want to, I just want to reiterate the points that I'm making. And, and I hope y'all can understand where I'm coming from. I kept the door open for a potential run because elected officials and my own pastor said, you don't know what God has planned for you. You don't know what life's going to be like two years down the road. At least show respect and courtesy to the people who love and support you in such a venture by saying you'll leave the door open to any possibilities two years down the road because you just don't know. And that's why I said, I'll leave the door open. But I have never been a politician. I have never been interested in being a politician. No disrespect to any individuals. I just consider the industry, that is of politics, where folks are professional beggars who perpetually own, owe favors. And that's not how I roll. Not only that, you see politicians clamoring for donations, you know, and having fundraising events and all of this other stuff. I don't need to do that. I got a job. I'm earning more money than most of them will earn in a lifetime. So my attitude would be, why would I walk away from the life that I've built for myself that doesn't have nearly the amount of stress that comes with such an occupation like that, to voluntarily put myself into that cesspool? Because that's exactly what I consider it to be. Be okay? So not only that, let me put myself on Front Street. I'm tired of people talking about me like I'm somebody walking around like I'm some aficionado of politics. I am not. I am a concerned, conscientious American citizen who pays attention to and cares about the issues, fully aware that I don't know everything. One side puts one spit on it, another side puts another spin on it. And you're trying to deduce what's factual, what's not factual. You're trying to decipher the spin and what the objectives and the agendas are behind them. So I'm very, very careful. Here's my aspiration. And I want my team, not just you out there, to listen to what I'm about to say, because I'm very, very serious about this. If there was a position that I clamor for more than anything in the world, it's the position that Joe Rogan. Rogan was in leading up to the election. Kamala Harris should have gone to visit him. Donald Trump did. And there's a lot of people who have speculated that that is a huge reason why Donald Trump won the election. I don't know whether that's true or not, but would I, would I desire people talking about me having that kind of impact? You damn right I would. It is my hope that everybody in Capitol Hill knows that I'm one of the people they have to come through in route to their aspirations for high office. Because I got news for you. I'm not going anywhere. I'm going to stay in their ass every chance I get because I'm sick of what they've done. To the American people when they say we are as divided more than ever before. I blame Capitol Hill. You engage in division and dissension in order to buffer yourself. You got this two party system and we gotta pick, all right, which is the worst devil, one side or the other. If you notice everything that I've been doing, yes, I've had conservatives on, but I've had liberals too. And I'm going to continue to have both on. Why? Because I don't want the fringes on the left with the extreme leftists, the progressives. Nor do I want the MAGA right pulling us and tilting us dramatically to one side or another. I'm a moderate. I'm a centrist. Why? What does that mean? Does that mean I'm devoid of principle?
- [83:01]
Josh
No.
- [83:01]
Stephen A. Smith
Does that mean I'm devoid of having a position? No. It means that I'm open minded enough to understand why somebody else's position would be different. Different. And even if I don't agree with them, it doesn't make them a racist. It doesn't make them a no good person, it doesn't make them the devil incarnate. Where you got people like Elizabeth Warren treating you like you are going to hell if you don't agree with her. I don't like that. I think it lets politicians off the hook because they get to get away with not doing their job, which is to go on Capitol Hill and then a fake face of adversity every single damn day. You got to work across the aisle and within your own party to negotiate, compromise and get things done on behalf of the American people with the understanding that no one gets everything they want, but we gonna do what's in the best interest of America. That's me. That's all I want. Because I believe it will lead to less division in the streets of America, which will be us being more at peace. Ain't y'all disturbed? And I'm not blaming Obama for this, but I'm using this as an example. We heard how the left talked about Trump leading up to the election. We've seen some of the things that Obama has said about Trump. We've seen some of the things Trump has said about Obama. How is it that they consider somebody's funeral sitting right next to each other, joking around, having a good old time. But we out in the streets ready to butt heads with one another over our differences. But the politicians that highlight and dare I say, causes some of that division get to get along with one another. Don't y'all find that a bit odd. I know I do. So that's all I want to say about that. And oh, by the way, I kind of told y'all I knew Trump a little bit, right? You see the first words that came out his mouth. Hello, Stephen. It's been a long time because we used to talk on and off throughout the years prior to him running for president, when I went to watch a boxing match, where did you think I went to? I went to Atlantic City, at Trump's, at Trump's establishments. We would see him at basketball games or football games because Trump was an avid sports fan. I told you he knew me and I know him. I appreciated him being on the air. I appreciated him being kind and respectful to me. It ain't going to stop me from disagreeing with him. But civility is not a crime. It should actually be be something that's aspired for and desired. That's it for this edition of the Stephen A. Smith Show. I got to get on out of here. I got work to do. NBA Countdown and all of that other stuff. I will be back at the start of next week, Monday. So until then, everybody, I'm signing off. Peace and love. Be safe. God bless.
- [86:05]
Josh
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Stephen A. Smith
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Josh
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Stephen A. Smith
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Josh
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Stephen A. Smith
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Josh
That's why we started Dutch.
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Stephen A. Smith
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Josh
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Stephen A. Smith
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Josh
Many ailments and shipping is always free.
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Stephen A. Smith
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