THE PRESIDENT’S FINANCIAL WINDFALL; LAURA COATES

Summary

Podcast Summary: Straight Shooter with Stephen A. Smith

Episode: THE PRESIDENT’S FINANCIAL WINDFALL; LAURA COATES
Date: July 2, 2026
Host: Stephen A. Smith (SiriusXM, POTUS Radio, Channel 124)
Featured Guest: Laura Coates (CNN)

---

Overview

In this punchy and provocative episode, Stephen A. Smith takes listeners "beyond the world of sports" into the latest controversies engulfing politics and society. Center stage is the meteoric financial rise of President Donald Trump, whose recently disclosed wealth—largely amassed through crypto and branded ventures—raises questions of ethics, legality, and leadership. Smith engages callers across the country, debates partisan divides, weighs in on landmark Supreme Court decisions, and welcomes legal analyst Laura Coates for nuanced discussion. The episode is a lively, unfiltered roundtable on power, money, partisanship, and what really matters to Americans.

---

Main Themes

• President Trump’s post-presidency business boom and ethical dilemmas
• Supreme Court rulings on transgender athletes, birthright citizenship, and executive power
• Partisan divides and political hypocrisy (across both GOP & Democrats)
• The tension between populist rhetoric and self-enrichment in political leadership
• Immigration, border politics, and birth tourism
• The role of public engagement and accountability in a divided country

---

Breakdown of Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Trump’s Financial Windfall and Business Dealings

[00:12–16:10]

• Trump’s Wealth Surge: Smith reports that President Trump has grown his net worth to over $6 billion (from under $2 billion pre-presidency), with nearly $1.2 billion in crypto-related earnings, $77M from Mar-a-Lago, and millions from other branded ventures.

  • “The President of the United States has elevated his net worth to over $6 billion. It wasn’t even at $2 billion before he arrived within the presidency…” (Caller/Guest, [01:29])
  • “…he played the crypto game while making the rules. You got to remember…Trump reversed the Biden administration’s tough stance on the crypto industry...” (Stephen A. Smith, [02:24])

• Conflict of Interest & UAE Involvement: Dubai-based investors paid $500M into Trump’s crypto firm days before his return to office, raising alarms about potential influence and diplomatic conflicts.

  • “Trump’s crypto business benefited from a $500 million payment from a state-linked firm in the United Arab Emirates…” (Caller/Guest, [04:31])

• Ethics and Legality: Smith asserts Trump has (so far) broken no laws but blasts “the grifter in chief” for putting personal wealth over public service.

  • “My issue with him is not the money he’s made. My issue is with the money he’s costing the American people.” (Stephen A. Smith, [06:23])
  • "You can’t just be decent and not come across so flagrantly as a grifter.” (Stephen A. Smith, [10:23])

2. Economic Hardship for Average Americans

[06:27–12:42]

• Smith contrasts Trump’s windfall with everyday Americans struggling with stagnant wages, inflation, record credit card debt, and the relentless cost of living.

  • “…90 days past due paying on their credit cards is at an all time high in American history... people are borrowing against their credit cards based on need…” (Stephen A. Smith, [07:59])

• He challenges Trump supporters to defend Trump’s self-enrichment amid public pain.

  • “I want to hear from Trump supporters on this one…Don’t hide. Don’t be a scared ass now. Where you at?” (Stephen A. Smith, [08:33])

3. Supreme Court Rulings: Transgender Athletes and Birthright Citizenship

[16:10–23:32, 32:17–40:52]

• Transgender Ban in Sports: The Supreme Court (6-3) upholds state bans on transgender athletes participating in girls’ and women’s sports.

  • Smith and Laura Coates dissect the constitutional reasoning and fairness:
    • “If you are biologically born a male, you have no business competing in women’s sports against girls.” (Stephen A. Smith, [17:20])
    • “In the field of sports where you’ve got height, weight, athleticism, physicality…we don’t want an entity on a case-by-case basis to have to decide.” (Laura Coates, [33:09])
  • Smith unequivocally supports the decision, calling it “right on point” and emphasizing the need to protect female athletes.

• Birthright Citizenship: The Supreme Court upholds the 14th Amendment’s guarantee that children born in America, regardless of parental immigration status, are citizens.

  • “I’m not sure I agree with that decision…I think those who are here should be left to be here, unless they’re committing lawless acts, but you got to control the borders.” (Stephen A. Smith, [21:26])

• Separation of Powers & Executive Expansion: Laura Coates highlights the overall theme: the balance of congressional, executive, and judicial power, and how recent rulings reinforce presidential authority—while sometimes rebuffing it.

  • “…Executive branch is powerful. The question: will it be more powerful than the other branches? That’s Congress’s job to figure out.” (Laura Coates, [25:05])

4. Debates over Political Hypocrisy and Accountability

[12:58–16:10, 44:07–60:11, 65:05–75:00]

• Caller Debates: Callers argue parallels between Trump’s conduct and Democratic politicians like Pelosi (insider trading), questioning selective outrage and double standards.

  • “At least we see what Trump is doing up front versus some of those…” (Caller Ken, [54:42])
  • Smith agrees that enrichment among elected officials is a bipartisan issue, but insists Trump’s “scale is next level.”

• Impeachment & Accountability: Discussion about the futility of repeated impeachment attempts when so little sticks to Trump—even after multiple impeachments and felony convictions.

  • “If you could get him, you would have got him. You didn’t get him. So going to the same old playbook…is an exercise in futility.” (Stephen A. Smith, [74:06])
  • Adam (a caller) argues for continued attempts to hold Trump accountable due to constitutional violations like the emoluments clause, but Smith maintains practical results are what matter.

5. Immigration, Border Policy, and Racial/Ethnic Tensions

[22:39–32:17, 66:13–70:29, 86:25–89:12]

• Stephen A. and guests dig into the politics of birth tourism, border security, and the manipulation of immigration for partisan ends.
  • “If folks are coming over here unlawfully and illegally, intending to give birth… just to ensure that their child is an American citizen, I don’t have a problem with that being challenged…” (Stephen A. Smith, [21:26])
• Laura Coates dismantles the practicality and legality of banning pregnant women at the border.
  • “How would you do that? Test every woman? …That would have an absurd result.” (Laura Coates, [30:12])
• Smith points to demographic anxiety among whites and exploitation by partisan actors:
  • “You have people that’s looking at the white population…having dipped to 57%. And there’s a palpable fear that they are losing their country. And that’s where that’s emanating from, in my opinion.” (Stephen A. Smith, [23:32])

6. The Partisan Divide, Common Ground, and the Public Good

[80:11–92:11]

• Smith argues that the loudest voices on the fringes of both parties drown out rational debate and consensus on mainstream issues.

  • “Both sides are appalled at the thought of the other side being in control because the other side…never knows how to act.” (Stephen A. Smith, [80:11])
  • Multiple callers echo the need for reasonable centrism.

• Notable Callers:

  • Denise (Navajo Nation, [86:25]): Discusses poverty and failed socialism on reservations, expressing disillusionment with both parties but particularly the Democrats, who promise but don’t deliver.
  • Joe (Vietnam Vet, [91:32]): Asks about recognition for veterans, with Smith agreeing, “We owe our veterans everything.”

---

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

On Trump’s Financial Rise:

• “The man is raking in over $1.2 billion. His net worth is now over $6 billion...He played the crypto game while making the rules.”
  – Stephen A. Smith, [01:12–02:24]

On Ethics and Priorities:

• “You can’t just be decent and not come across so flagrantly as a grifter. The grifter in chief.”
  – Stephen A. Smith, [10:23]

On the State of Public Affairs:

• “You can talk about socialism all you want...But because of what [Trump] is doing, you’ve got Mamdani in New York endorsing candidates, and he’s more successful doing it than Speaker of the House Hakeem Jeffries.”
  – Stephen A. Smith, [87:56]

On the Supreme Court’s Power:

• “The separation of powers means something...but when it comes to executive branches, he has expansive powers…Basically speaking, Executive branch is powerful. The question: will it be more powerful than the other branches?”
  – Laura Coates, [24:56 & 25:05]

On Callers and Political Cynicism:

• “Donald Trump does what’s good for Donald Trump. But if it works out for you, that’s a coincidence.”
  – Caller Paul, [47:32]

On Transgender Athletes Debate:

• “If you are biologically born a male, you have no business competing in women’s sports against girls.”
  – Stephen A. Smith, [17:20]

On Holding Politicians Accountable:

• “It’s important to focus on and to emphasize the importance of him doing what’s in the best interest of America. What we can’t allow is for him to sell us out.”
  – Stephen A. Smith, [46:53]

---

Timestamps for Important Segments

• Trump’s Wealth & Disclosures: [00:12–16:10]
• Economic Struggles for Ordinary Americans: [06:27–10:23]
• Conflict of Interest & UAE Deal: [04:31, [53:41]]
• Trump Supporters / Partisan Callers: [08:33–15:04], [44:07–60:11]
• Supreme Court Rulings Discussion: [16:10–23:32], [32:17–40:52]
• Laura Coates Interview: [24:32–42:49]
• Immigration & Birthright Citizenship: [21:26, 22:39–32:17, [66:13]]
• Political Hypocrisy & Accountability: [44:00–75:00]
• Military/Veterans Recognition: [91:32–92:11]
• Closing reflections on Trump & Leadership: [97:49–98:44]

---

Episode Flow & Tone

• Energetic, confrontational, and unfiltered: Smith never shies from tough questions or partisan pushback.
• Nuanced: Willing to call out both sides—Democrats and Republicans—on hypocrisy or self-serving leadership.
• Accessible: Listeners from varied backgrounds and ideologies (including Trump supporters, liberals, centrists, and others) engage and are given space to share their perspectives.
• Sharp and personal: Regularly references economic data, constitutional law, lived experiences, and personal values in his analysis.

---

Takeaway

This episode is a playbook for how straight talk can strip away political spin and demand that leaders serve the public—not themselves. While Trump’s business acumen and cunning are acknowledged, Smith and his callers keep returning to a single burning question: “What is being done for the American people?” The episode closes with Smith’s signature blend of challenge, hope, and humor—reminding listeners that as divided as America seems, common ground and common sense are still possible if enough people insist on them.

---

For listeners seeking unvarnished perspectives on politics, leadership, and society—this is Stephen A. like you’ve never heard him: passionate, unpredictable, and always on point.

Transcript

[Announcer]

Straight shooter with stephen a.

[Caller/Guest]

Our president is getting richer while America is struggling. That is the story that is relevant

[Stephen A. Smith]

to bring to your attention on this Wednesday evening. Welcome to the latest edition of Straight Shooter with yours truly, Stephen A. Coming at you, as I love to

[Caller/Guest]

do every Wednesday night over to airwaves

[Stephen A. Smith]

of Sirius XM, POTUS radio channel 124. The number to call up, as always, is 86696 POTUS. 86696 POTUS. That's 866-967-6887.

[Caller/Guest]

That's the thing. That's the thing.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Believe it or not, contrary to what some of you gripers will say, everything is not negative about Donald Trump because I've got some positive things to say, believe it or not, about a couple of things involving him on this show tonight. But that ain't going to be one of them, not with the money that he's making all over the news.

[Caller/Guest]

What we've been hearing over the last 24 hours is that President Donald Trump

[Stephen A. Smith]

has taken in nearly $1.2 billion from

[Caller/Guest]

his crypto business alone. That is what everybody is saying. Nearly $1.2 billion from his crypto business alone.

[Stephen A. Smith]

That's what you're hearing.

[Caller/Guest]

And when you take into account the rest of the money that he has made, according to Forbes magazine, the president of the United States has elevated his net worth to over $6 billion. It wasn't even at $2 billion before he arrived within the presidency. But now all of that has changed. According to Trump's 2025 financial disclosures, $635 million celebration coins, those are the deals

[Stephen A. Smith]

that he was making.

[Caller/Guest]

$526 million, 526 million on crypto tokens, 77 million from Mar? A Lago, 4.7 million from royalties from Trump watches, other gifts, including Trump Bibles

[Stephen A. Smith]

and things of that nature.

[Caller/Guest]

The man is raked in over 1.2 billion. His net worth is now over $6 billion. And when you take that into consideration, that ain't even the worst part of the news. It's not even the worst part of the news. As we dissect what has transpired, as we look at some of the things that he has done, he played the crypto game while making the rules. You got to remember it was after returning to office, Trump reversed the Biden administration's tough stance on the crypto industry with new rules, saying, quote, he wanted the USA to be crypto capital of the world. That's what he said. He's been a serious player in the market where he's also a rule maker. So you're tipping the scales. You can call it any way you want to. The 1.2 billion with the crypto business documents revealed, including hundreds of millions from sales of souvenir type coins stamped with his face on it. Got to remember, he's had his own brand, cologne, investments to real estate and royalties. No crime there. His enterprises made an additional 622 million. But that was before he turned to the return to the presidency. Previous US Presidents made public efforts to show they would not personally profit from business during their time in office. Trump basically in his second term, has put his sons in charge of his businesses. He's bought stock in a whole bunch of stuff. Personal stakes in hundreds of companies, big tech in Silicon Valley, Papa John's Pizza, Netflix, and even Victoria's Secrets. It was during a Tuesday disclosure spanning 927 pages that revealed he's actively buying stocks. And the U.S. office of Government Ethics

[Stephen A. Smith]

names all of them.

[Caller/Guest]

The document was publicly released due to a 1978 law.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Just for those of you who don't know, that requires presidents and vice presidents

[Caller/Guest]

to disclose their income, assets and financial interest. How about this one, ladies and gentlemen? Trump's crypto business benefited from a $500 million payment from a state linked firm in the United Arab Emirates, which bought a stake in World Liberty Financial, which is the Trump family crypto company, by the way, days before he reentered the office. Remember, the UAE has a complicated diplomatic relationship with the United States, including on sensitive issues such as Israel, Palestine and Iran. Well, we collabed with Israel with the whole Gaza matter. We've bombed Iran not once, but tw numerous times actually, but supposedly took off their nuclear sites last June and we obliterated them, according to Trump. But then you bombed them again. I mean, you can't make this stuff up. Why do I bring this up? Ladies and gentlemen, I got news for you. I want to make sure that we're clear while I'm bringing this up. I want to make sure we're very clear. A lot of people have a problem with this. They call him a grifter, they call him the thief in chief instead of the commander in chief. They sue all of these things. They throw all these negative connotations out there. Ladies and gentlemen, I'm here to tell you right now, he was a businessman before he left office, before he entered office, he was a businessman. After he left office. The first go round, he's a businessman in office. Now, as trifling as it is because it is trifling. It looks bad. The bottom line is he broke no laws that we know of at this particular moment in time. My issue with him is not the money he's made. My issue is with the money he's

[Stephen A. Smith]

costing the American people.

[Caller/Guest]

You don't have $2 billion to spend over a month to take care of TSA workers so they don't have to work without a check for 30 days, struggling to eat, to make ends meet, to feed their family. But you got money suddenly to finance a war that's costing you $2 billion a day. Somehow, some way, while these war, this war in Iran has cost us over $30 billion, if not more, that might be a light number. Your cronies are profiting, your sons are profiting, your family's profiting, you're profiting. But the American people are struggling. That's my issue with Donald Trump. That's my issue with him. What happened to the dude that was going to make it better for us? What happened to the dude that was thinking about the American people in ways that the Biden administration and the liberals and the Democrats and the progressives never do? What happened to that dude? Yeah, you're going to tell us that the unemployment rate is at 44.3%. You're going to remind us that labor participation rate is at 61.8%. You're going to remind us about the cost of living and how inflation has ravaged us. You're going to remind us about a statistic that Chris Cuomo on his show, Cuomo on News Nation just the other night revealed to us when it highlighted that folks, 90 days past due, paying on their credit cards is at an all time high in American history. And why is that a reality? Because that means people are borrowing against their credit cards based on need. Because the money that they're raking in for themselves, working their asses off every single day and night, they can't afford. Even with the check coming in, they can't afford to pay their bills without

[Stephen A. Smith]

leaning into their credit card, thereby building more debt with the interest rate being

[Caller/Guest]

sky high, with them remaining in debt for the rest of their lives and possibly not going to be able to pay it. Meanwhile, that's when you're profiting off of this. I want to hear from Trump supporters on this one. And 866-967-6887. That's 86696 POTUS. Don't hide. Don't hide now. Don't be a scared ass now. Where you at? Where you at? See this is the kind of stuff that I'm talking about right here and now. I want to emphasize You're a Republican. You're a member of the gop. You're somebody that's focused on economy. Ain't got no problems with you. You somebody that wanted our border closed because we Biden left the border open. I ain't got no problem with you. As far as I'm concerned, the liberals and Democrats need to shut the hell up on that issue. When Obama deported 3.1 million people, you ain't say anything. You had networks doing features on ice. Suddenly, they the bad guys. They're the scourges of the earth when you had over 3.1 million people when Obama was in office. Shut the hell up. I don't want to hear from you. You're a GOP or you're a Republican and you got issues with immigration, I ain't got no problem with you. I might be pro choice, but you pro life. That's your prerogative.

[Stephen A. Smith]

I ain't got no problem with you.

[Caller/Guest]

You about safety in the streets. You about prioritizing national security. I ain't got no problem with you. There's plenty of Republicans I listen to and don't mind.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Listening to and don't mind. Vibing with Trump's ass is another matter entirely.

[Caller/Guest]

You see?

[Stephen A. Smith]

You know what makes it so bad about Donald Trump? You're bringing in billions for yourself and your family and your cronies. Man, you 80. You already set for life and your family set for generations. You can't just be decent and not come across so flagrantly as a grifter. The grifter in chief.

[Caller/Guest]

You can't be better than that. You can't make sure that the interests of the American people are prioritized over yourself. And you're a billionaire, sir. You don't have anything to worry about. Your sons don't have anything to worry about. Your grandchildren don't have anything to worry about. Your cronies don't have anything to worry about. You can't do the right thing by the American people. You got to be a slave to your own narcissism.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Trump watches, Trump hats, Trump ties, Trump

[Caller/Guest]

suits, Trump hotels, Trump everything. Everything got to have your name on it. People got to go to court to keep you from putting your name on everything. If you could get away with it, and Union Station was some rat infested spot with mice poop all over the place, you'd want to put your name on that, too. Is there no end in sight? I'M just asking. I'm just asking. Everybody sit up there talking about I'm going off, I'm anti Trump. Well, why ain't you? The way he acted, I've been as fair minded as I could possibly be. I've taken heat from all over the place. But because when he, there's a salient point to be made in his favor, I'll do it. But this brother is next level trifling

[Stephen A. Smith]

with some of the stuff that we seeing.

[Caller/Guest]

Have you no shame? None. None. That's all I'm asking. 86696 POTUS. That's 866-967-6887.

[Stephen A. Smith]

We're listening live to Straight Shooter with yours truly, Stephen A.

[Caller/Guest]

It's just ridiculous and it's hard to take, it's hard to watch. Trump should have some explaining to do. He's not averse to opening his mouth. Listen to what he had to say here. Speaking on the issue right now. Listen to President Donald Trump.

[Interviewer]

Your financial disclosure shows you at a very lucrative year last year, what message

[Caller Denise]

you will send to average American.

[Donald Trump]

Well, I, you know, I don't get involved in my personal, we have funds that run my money.

[Stephen A. Smith]

But you are benefiting.

[Donald Trump]

Well, I've made a lot of money before I became president and they invest my money and I don't talk to them. I never, I don't even speak to them. So I have many people, I don't know what they call closed accounts or something. You put your money in and that's it. I don't talk to them. They're big institutions and they run it. But yeah, I've had a great career in business. I've had a great career. I don't know if I've had a better career in politics or business, but I had a great career in business. And you know, you saw the cash and you report the different things and what they do is we gave it, I think it's called the blind account. But they basically, they take it. And I purposely, I never speak to any of the people that run the money.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Wow. So you know what, ladies and gentlemen, let's just play, let's just pretend. Let's just act like we were born at last night instead of at night. Let's just act like that for his, for his edification and his gratification.

[Caller/Guest]

So, ladies and gentlemen, I have two

[Stephen A. Smith]

sons and I'm the president of the United States. And the businesses being run are in my name.

[Caller/Guest]

And instead of putting it in a

[Stephen A. Smith]

blind trust, I put it in their control.

[Caller/Guest]

Would it suffice for you if I sat there and I said to you,

[Stephen A. Smith]

I have nothing to do with it. My sons are running it. I don't know what you're talking about. That's what he basically said. That's what he basically said. Now, I get where you're coming from. I understand it wholeheartedly. I feel you. But I'm here to tell you something right now. This stuff don't really make sense to me. I gotta tell you that right now, it really, really doesn't how people can stomach the kind of stuff he's spewing because it's not working to the benefit of the American people. And that's what this all comes down to. But I will say this, and I will say this to you right now,

[Caller/Guest]

with all of this stuff being revealed

[Stephen A. Smith]

about him and the money

[Caller/Guest]

that he is collecting on a personal level for himself, his family, and get it, that's not my issue with him. I don't give a damn how much

[Stephen A. Smith]

money Donald Trump makes as long as the American people are making more. When our debt continues to climb, when affordability is ravaging us and this man is still able to get away with what he's getting away with, it's disgusting. But not everything associated with him is. Case in point, Supreme Court ruling that came down just Yesterday when a 6, 3 decision the Supreme Court upheld state laws that banned transgender athletes from participating in girls and women's sports. Obviously, as you know, two transgender athletes, one in West Virginia and another in Idaho, challenged state laws that prohibited them from participating on women's and girls sports teams in public schools, arguing that they violate Title 9. The ruling has implications for other states with similar laws, but this was clearly considered a win for President. Donald Trump signed an executive order immediately upon returning to office that transgender males would not be allowed, should not be allowed to participate in women's and girls sports. Ladies and gentlemen, I support that decision. Ain't nobody backing up from it. I'm a live and let live kind of guy. I'm a fiscal conservative and I'm a social liberal. But the Supreme Court's decision yesterday was right on point. This is not about transgender rights. Your civil rights, your civil liberties, absolutely, they should remain intact. Nobody should be bothering you, nobody should be harassing you. Nobody should be inflicting violence upon you. None of those things are apropos. We shouldn't allow that. We shouldn't tolerate that in our society. And we should stand with the transgender community in support of them being. Being left alone as human beings. But not when it comes to competing against girls. If you are biologically born a male, you have no business competing in women's sports against girls. You have no business doing that. Why? Because it's unfair to the girls. They're at a decided disadvantage, which with any sport that allows or calls for physicality.

[Caller/Guest]

Even in the sport of golf, you

[Stephen A. Smith]

got certain cats that can drive a

[Caller/Guest]

ball 250 yards, if not longer. Clearly more so than the females can in boxing or the ufc. That should be self explanatory. You think it's all right for a male to transition to a female and to play against females? How would you feel about LeBron James playing in the WNBA against women? Does that seem fair? You look at women playing softball, you think it's all right for them to be swinging at 99 or 101 mile per hour fastballs? This shouldn't have even got to the Supreme Court. And I'm not going to even bring up the fact that transgender people in this country make up 0.002% of the populace in US collegiate sports. Not even a half percent. Not even half of a half percent. Why are we talking about this?

[Stephen A. Smith]

Because it got to the Supreme Court. Because somehow, some way, that was considered crazy. Talk about athletes. I'm not talking about the population.

[Caller/Guest]

Another decision that came down

[Stephen A. Smith]

was birthright citizenship. 14th amendment of the Constitution declares that anybody born on United States soil is a United States citizen. Trump obviously challenged that. The case was Trump vs Barbara. The Supreme Court upheld birthright citizenship, with five justices ruling that children born in the United States to parents who are in the country unlawfully or are temporarily present are citizens at birth under the 14th Amendment's citizenship clause. Justice Brett Kavanaugh agreed that Trump's order was invalid, but for a different reason. Trump signed an executive order to end birthright citizenship for children born in the US to parents who who are not in the country lawfully. The order was challenged by opponents who said it violated the 14th Amendment. Lower courts blocked the order, and the Trump administration asked the Supreme Court to weigh in. I'm not sure I agree with that decision. The Constitution is the constitution, and the 14th amendment of the Constitution says what it says. So I get that part. But if folks are coming over here unlawfully and illegally intending to give birth on American soil just to ensure that their child is an American citizen,

[Caller/Guest]

I

[Stephen A. Smith]

don't have a problem with that being challenged. And I'm a supporter of migrants. I think those who are here should be left to be here unless they're committing lawless Acts, but you got to control the borders. You have to. Every other nation does it. We should be able to do it too. 866-967-6887. That's 86696 POTUS. Those are my opinions. You know where I stand. But somebody far more qualified than me to touch on these issues, particularly the Supreme Court rulings, is a fabulous, fabulous host and a television star and obviously she knows a thing or two about the law as well. Incredibly qualified as a former prosecutor to discuss these issues. I learn from her every day. She is the marvelous Laura Coates of cnn. And she is up next right here with Straight Shooter with Stephen A. Back with more in a min.

[Caller/Guest]

Are we banning foreign pregnant women?

[Jesse]

Well, what I'm saying, Jesse, is that you have to now think very carefully about who you let into your country, even on a temporary basis, because the possibility, as you said, for birth tourism, right? The idea that people come here just to have babies on American soil and that baby gets to be a citizen for life. So you have mothers that come in fully pregnant, have a baby, go home, and again, that baby gets Medicaid and that baby gets welfare and the baby gets cash assistance and can send, you know, leave the baby with, you know, a cousin, a relative, whatever, and then to send welfare checks back home. You can support a whole family in the third world. So yes, you can't have the kinds of immigration programs other countries have when you can just have a baby here and that that child is an American citizen. So there's a lot of things we're gonna have to take a hard look at. Jesse.

[Stephen A. Smith]

That was White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller, one of the biggest proponents of Project 2025. Don't get me started on him. I've got my questions about him my damn self. And I think that one of the things he's revealing right there is an innate fear that you have a lot of people in white America who will feel on a day to day basis it's not just about the finances and taxes. Those are very real issues, I won't deny that. But you have people that's looking at the white population in the United States of America having dipped to 57%. And there's a palpable fear that they are losing their country. And that's where that's emanating from, in my opinion. But that's just me. I'll go to my next guest who knows far more than me, far better than me. I learn from her every time I watch. I love talking to her I love as a person. She's absolutely marvelous in everything that she does. She also happens to be a magnificent host with her own show on CNN Every weeknight at 11pm Please welcome back to the show. The one and only Laura Coates is with me right now. Laura, good evening. How are you? How's everything?

[Laura Coates]

Oh, I'm, I'm doing great. I'm always so glad to be with you. You know how much I love you. So thank you for having me back.

[Stephen A. Smith]

I appreciate that. Let's go to the bigger issue. I had to talk to you about all of these Supreme Court rulings that came down over the last 24 hours or so. First order of business, the Supreme Court had one defining theme. What was it? If the Supreme Court had one defining theme in all of this, what was it? In your eyes?

[Laura Coates]

The theme really is the separation of powers means something in the sense that he can't infringe on the other branches power of the purse for Congress, for example. But when it comes to executive branches, he has expansive powers. He already had expansive powers when it came to immigration and controlling the borders, but now he has expansive powers in terms of being able to fire independent agency heads. He has expansive power in the world, of course, of thinking about commerce and what's going on in the sense of how that's going to be regulated. But he does have the dings. I'll call them. The Supreme Court did not allow him to say no to mail in ballot. They did not allow the supreme this rumor did not allow the president United States to say that the Fed could be controlled by him, that the firings could occur in that realm. And that was a really, really big moment. Basically speaking, Executive branch is powerful. The question will it be more powerful than the other branches? That's Congress's job to figure out how much they want to allow that to take place.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Reading the opinions, not just the headlines, are you of the mindset? What Are you of the mindset? Ra that Americans are misunderstanding about yesterday's rulings more so than anything else.

[Laura Coates]

Now, one of the things that has always sort of stopped me in my tracks is trying to explain it to people is of course the Supreme Court has power. We have allowed it to have a great deal of power. We have said precedent means something, that the buck stops there to the Supreme Judicial nine and that they have the final word. However, we have seen time and time again over the last 12 years alone that that notion of the Constitution and the separation of powers and the buck stopping in various places is more of a Gentleman's agreement, right. The idea that the Supreme Court has a final say is only as good as if Congress says, okay, we will leave it there, but they don't have to, nor does the President of the United States. I think people fundamentally misunderstand that. Just because the Supreme Court says something and we traditionally have viewed what they have said as the final word, their decision to in many ways overturned their prior precedent has undermined the longevity of their own finality. And it has also made people wonder just how far they could push the contours of the Constitution, how far they could push the gentleman's agreement, so to speak, and challenge one another's branches in a way that they are trying to kind of like crabs in a barrel, crabs in a bucket, climb over one another.

[Stephen A. Smith]

How silly am I when I bring up this? I obvious notion. To me we talk about amendments to the Constitution.

[Caller/Guest]

Last time I checked, if there's an

[Stephen A. Smith]

amendment that means something was a certain way and you decided that it needed

[Caller/Guest]

to be altered, so you went and you altered it. There has been alterations to the Constitution. I'm always shocked. While everybody leaves on a Constitution in

[Stephen A. Smith]

such a way as if it's so finite that it can't be changed, it can't be altered, it can't be influenced, isn't this a reminder that indeed that is just not true, that anything written down, no matter how finite it may

[Caller/Guest]

appear to be, can be altered, it can be amended even in this day

[Laura Coates]

and age, sometimes for the good and sometimes for the bad. Absolutely it can be. But it is intended to be a difficult proposition to amend the Constitution. It's not intended to be something like a quick law or executive order, for example, that just says, here's what we're going to do from now on for the duration of my term. It's supposed to be something that is difficult to maneuver. It's going to have the ratification requirements, going to have to have the buy in from various states they knew would have to have those hurdles in place as well. So it's not intended to be a quick change, but there was always the notion that this would be a perhaps living document. Now, originalists, as they say on the Constitution, originalists, the Supreme Court seem to forget that sometimes they say, well, only if it's included in the actual text of the Constitution will we honor it in some meaningful way. But they, they fail to remember sometimes that the amendments and the process being able to do so does require you to view it more as a living document. And that's a powerful reminder, Stephen A that things can change and they can change for the better or they can change for the worse. Some of the Supreme Court decisions recently have. The birthright citizenship case has said, look, this is what it said, here's what it intended. They have given a bit of a roadmap, however, for another branch to challenge it. And you already see that happen happening in the form of the call for US Attorneys to prioritize birth tourism, as they call it, which by the way, is already something that is investigated and is illegal. And it's not necessary to change the 14th Amendment to make that something you could prosecute. But here we are.

[Stephen A. Smith]

You heard the sound coming into the interview where I aired the deputy chief of staff of the White House, Mr. Stephen Miller, talking about essentially how pregnant women shouldn't be be allowed to come into the country. You know, you might want to keep them away until they give birth. What were your thoughts about that when you heard that coming from him?

[Laura Coates]

Well, practically speaking, how would you do that? Are you testing people at the border who otherwise have a lawful reason to seek asylum or entry into the country and you will use and treat them as a subclass if they in fact are pregnant and therefore you will not allow them in the country? That would have an absurd result. I mean, the idea that somebody would target the United States simply to give birth is part of the culture war, part of the policy debate discussions, part of the hyper, hyperbole people often talk about as if it's a very prevalent and pervasive thing that's happening. And I'm not saying it does not happen. But if you're going to really practically look at how you're going to evaluate border control, the executive branch absolutely has a right to control migration. They have right to control borders. They have rights control exit and entry into this country. But to essentially require somebody who is saying I have a lawful reason to seek asylum or entrance into this country and to restrict them on the basis of them carrying a child because you believe that they are only doing it because they want to have the so called stereotypical anchor baby that people talk about. Well, that would not be practical, nor would it be right or just. And it would be putting people in a different class that others would not. And we do still have equal protection. Well, and we are supposed to apply the way we apply the border control policies equally without regard with something like that instead about whether they qualify for asylum.

[Caller/Guest]

Well, Laura, that's the eloquent and brilliant way to put it. No doubt about it. I'm gonna be more Simplified than that, because I'm not as. I'm not as much. I'm not as eloquent as you are. Let me be very clear. What the hell are you gonna do? Test every woman? Give him a pregnancy test? Anybody that comes in crossing the border? Because let me tell you something right now, as a dad, there's a little while before you can tell somebody's pregnant. Now, how you gonna know? It's really that simple to me. I'm like. I'm like, how's he gonna pull this off? I'm like, I'm just wondering right here. We're talking to Laura Coates for cnn

[Stephen A. Smith]

right here, a straight shooter with yours truly. The transgender ruling.

[Laura Coates]

Yeah.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Barring transgenders from participating in women's and girls sports. Laura, I have to confess you. I have no problem with this decision. I never felt. I've never been of the mindset that it's been fair to young ladies to have to compete with somebody transitioning, period. That's been my position about this. What did you think about this ruling?

[Laura Coates]

I was not surprised at all that they had decided this. Remember, this has been a series of different cases. They've already supported the president being able to ban transgender from the military, about having a requirement to have one's assigned sex at birth on an identification. There's been other ways we've talked about these issues as well. In the sports context, in particular, at the oral arguments, they were very clear that this was a field, so to speak, unto itself. The idea of trying to figure out how they were going to make exceptions to rules of 27 or 29 different states and not have a patchwork was never practical. But here's the reason why they did it. They didn't go into the policy debates of whether it's not in my backyard or not, on my daughter's playing field conversations. A part of it was about the unfair advantage, but the other part about it was how they were going to treat one's gender identity. Were they going to look at it as, say, race or sexual orientation or religion? How are they going to evaluate the burden, the balancing interests of the state in regulating something and an individual's private interests in not having their rights infringed? And how they decide to do this is so called intermediate scrutiny, which essentially says, look, I have to figure out, is there a real relationship between why the state is acting and what they are acting on? Is there an interest that the state has that's going to override a private interest? And in this particular field, they said yes, you do not want to have the unfair advantage. It's different in the sports world than it would be, say, in a workplace or other arena. But also because the ncaa, as you know, already decides on a case by case for sports, for teams. And there's already written into the cake in title nine and everything else it says you can have separate, you can have separate girls teams, separate boys teams. Everything need not be totally equal. And in doing that, they opened the door to having equivalence, not pure equality. And that's why this particular court said, look, in the field of sports where you've got height, weight, you've got athleticism, you've got strength, all these different factors that give an unfair advantage, we don't want an individual entity, on a case by case basis to have to decide whether they in fact are violating someone's rights. So I'm not surprised by the decision. And frankly, what is really interesting to me, Stephen A. Is given the relatively minuscule population of people who are transgender in sports, it is fascinating to know how many people almost universally have a position and a opinion without actually having the immediate firsthand observation or experience. And that's part of what the Supreme Court was looking at and saying, given the fact that it's such a small population, we're not going to apply the most exacting standard because the impact is not going to be as great.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Laura Coates, Raleigh Gaines, I'm sure you know that name. She was the swimmer that competed against lia Thomas in 2022, tied for fifth place, ultimately sued to bring this issue to the forefront because her name and her fingerprints are written all over this. I spoke to her earlier today. I want you to listen to what she had to say, say about what's next because she says she's not finished. Listen to this. You talked about how there's more work to be done considering the fact that the Supreme Court came down with this ruling, it's now a federal ban. What is the work that. What is the additional work you believe there is to be done?

[Raleigh Gaines]

So basically this ruling, it means that it's not illegal for women to have sports exclusive to just women. It's not that, you know, states must have women's only sports, it's that they can. And so 27 states have passed some sort of fairness in women's sports law. My home state of Tennessee has, you know, the ones, right? Texas, Florida, the usual actors in this situation. That means 23 states have not passed some sort of law. California, Washington, Oregon, Michigan, Maine, Minnesota, yada, yada, yada. You get it? We have no reason to believe that they will now follow federal law, that federal law being Title nine. We have no reason to believe that they will follow President Trump's executive orders, because up until this point, they've. I think, I think they think they're giving a middle finger to President Trump. That's really not what they're doing at all. They're giving a middle finger to the little girls in their state who want to compete fairly. So as it stands now, based on this ruling, fairness and safety in women's sports is dependent on your zip code and your geography and where you live. I don't think it should be that way. I think every girl is entitled to equal opportunity, to privacy and to safety. So still work to be done in those 23 states that have not yet passed state law. So I hope we see real enforcement mechanisms from the Department of Justice, from the Department of Education. I hope we see individual lawsuits and litigation. I hope we see ballot measures. There's a lot of work to do to, again, ensure that every girl, regardless of where you live, is protected.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Laura Coates, your response to that?

[Laura Coates]

Well, this goes back to exactly our earlier point and the finality of a Supreme Court decision. They can weigh in on the question that they're being asked. Can these states continue to hold these bans against people who've been assigned male at birth who want to participate in girls sports at the high school and collegiate level? They're not being asked, hey, do you think that transgender athletes should ever compete? That's not what they're being asked. Sometimes Supreme Court justices will expand on their opinion and give very wide ranging decisions, but here they were far more nuanced and precise on the question that was presented to them. She's right. There is going to be more to this discussion. Primarily when one state that has a ban intends to compete in another state or bring their team to another state where the ban is not in effect and will have to compete against people who do not have the same requirements that will force the issues of how the collegiate level more broadly addresses it. I do think this has opened a door, though, Stephen A. Because we know the Olympics has already wrestled with this issue. We know that 27 states have wrestled with this issue. We know that there might be other states who are not just, as she said, trying to give a middle finger to a president, but might have been waiting to figure out if they were going to be bogged down in litigation over an issue the Supreme Court was currently grappling with. They don't want to have their Title 9 funding removed. They don't want to have it impeded. But they also don't want to have lawsuits and exposure to those vulnerabilities if they believe that there is a risk that they could be violating a constitutional right. And so there's a lot of things at play here that I think this is going to open the door on. But at the end of the day, individual states, that's part of our system here in America, although it's a United States without a federal ban or a federal superiority issue here, supremacy clause issue, the issue is state by state. And we have other areas of our legal system that are part of a patchwork. Some of our gun laws, for example, how people use different voter IDs and licenses or type identification marijuana laws, for example. Supreme Court justices, including people like Clarence Thomas, have been pretty outspoken trying to make sure there has not been a patchwork with respect to drug laws and has failed in the endeavor even to implicitly solicit different cases to come before them. So if people have a problem with the absence of true uniformity, I do have some news for you. The way our system is set up as the United States of America, not just one nation, is that there is supposed to be room for that distinction and flexibility. But in areas like this, where you're going to have inter connectivity and interactions, this will be the next frontier.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Last question to you regards to mail in ballot 54 decision. Supreme Court ruled that states can count mail in ballots that are postmarked by election day but arrive later. Your thoughts about that real quick?

[Laura Coates]

Well, we do it for the military. We know there are, we, we don't all have the ultimate confidence in the postal service. I mean the mail does not always get delivered right on time.

[Stephen A. Smith]

No doubt about that.

[Laura Coates]

Shout out to all of you out there, hardworking. But we know all of the different jokes around it have some truth to it. The idea if it were something that were just at any time after and you could miss election day, I would have a problem with that. I would say you've got to have an election day deadline in terms of when you cast your ballot, right. But when it's counted, if it's dependent on an exterior force or entity, then you cannot undermine the right to vote as a result of the rights you're about to be counted. But I do think cases like California, for example, cases where in states where they have a long window of time before we know who in fact will represent somebody in an election, this gives the fodder for people to say let's change this and get everything counted at once. Mail in ballots are not inherently going to create fraud in many respects, allowing people the ability to use alternative means of casting their ballot that they've done so successfully in many states across this country, including the president. United States having done mailed ballots in the past, sometimes it opens up the entire electoral franchise more. But I do agree that there has got to be some boundaries on making sure that there is a reasonable time from which ballots are counted because the seeds have been planted. STEPHEN A. And of course, people have a right to know when they voted, what was the result.

[Stephen A. Smith]

That's right.

[Laura Coates]

And I think the more people have to wait, I wonder if they become more apathetic about the process of voting

[Stephen A. Smith]

and therefore they'll delay it even more. Procrastinator ultimately won't do it. So we don't need that problem. No question about it. Local coach, appreciate you. Looking forward to being on with you tonight. I'm returning the favor. You're here with me now. I'll be on with you on CNN tonight. I'm looking forward to that. And oh, by the way, I got to thank you. Thank you in advance for looking out for me. I'm going on vacation after tonight. You're gonna be hosting for me next week.

[Caller/Guest]

You're gonna be sitting right in this

[Stephen A. Smith]

chair hosting straight shooting with yours truly. I only ask one favor. Don't be too damn good. Don't take my job. Don't take my job. I need my job. I need my job.

[Laura Coates]

It's an honor. I'll keep the seat warm because your shoes can never be filmed. I'll see you tonight.

[Stephen A. Smith]

We gonna stick to that lie. We gonna stick to that lie. Thank you so much.

[Caller/Guest]

Take it easy.

[Stephen A. Smith]

The one and only Laura Coats for cnn. A marvelous lower coats the for CNN right here with Straight shooter with George truly. 866-967-6887 is the number of call ups. 86696 POTUS, you're listening live.

[Caller/Guest]

Stephen A Straight Shooter in the House

[Stephen A. Smith]

coming back with your calls and more in a minute. Welcome back to Stephen A Spirit show. Straight Shooter with Stephen A. 866-967-6887. That's 86696, POTUS. Let's go to the phones. Let's go to Paul in California. You're live with Stephen A. What's up?

[Caller]

Hey, what's happening? Stephen, I just wanted to say that.

[Caller/Guest]

Hello, can you hear me?

Yes, you're right.

[Stephen A. Smith]

I'm listening to you, sir.

[Caller]

Go ahead okay, I'm sorry. I just wanted to say that I think we talked before that and I said that Trump is all about pretext. And I think that pretext for the, for the 1776 fund was to get the protections for the IRS so that when he comes out with the disclosure saying he made all this money, that money's blunt.

[Stephen A. Smith]

You know what? Nobody can, Nobody, nobody can tell you you're wrong at this particular juncture. Nobody can tell you you're wrong. But see, the problem is, here's the problem with the politicians making all this noise about it. Ready for this, Paul? They certainly haven't grifted on this, this level. They haven't done that. But let's just say, for example, you poor and then you become a politician and you making money. No, you're not making billions, but you're making money. But if you Trump and you've been dabbling with billionaires all the time, then this is part of the company you keep, which is what he alluded to.

[Caller]

Absolutely.

[Stephen A. Smith]

And so as a result of it, you know, and the fact that it's, it's right there disclosed and there's nothing illegal about it, what are you going to say?

[Caller/Guest]

All you're going to say is that it's trifling. See, my issue is forget focusing on

[Stephen A. Smith]

the money he's making.

[Caller/Guest]

Focus on the fact that what's being done for the American people, it's two

[Stephen A. Smith]

things that we should be focused on.

[Caller/Guest]

What's being done for the American people,

[Stephen A. Smith]

which ain't much when we still got inflation and other issues to deal with. And number two, did you sell us out while you were making these deals? You know, who were you making these deals with? United Arabs Emirates, with their ties to Iran and Palestine and Israel. What did you do to compromise the interests of the American people?

[Caller/Guest]

See, that's the question.

[Stephen A. Smith]

If you've left the nation in shambles,

[Caller/Guest]

when you depart with your billions free to live anywhere in the world that

[Stephen A. Smith]

you want to, we got a problem with you.

[Caller/Guest]

It's a problem because you sold us out. We don't know that he has, but

[Stephen A. Smith]

a lot of people suspect that he has. And that's where the problem lies. You understand? Do you understand, Paul? I guess you do, yes.

[Caller/Guest]

Go ahead, real quick.

[Stephen A. Smith]

I'll give you the last word real quick.

[Caller Barry]

Go ahead.

[Caller]

Okay. And I don't have. Listen, he's breaking norms, he's not breaking laws. And for the most part, there's nothing

[Caller Barry]

we can do about it anyway.

[Caller]

So I think you're right. Let's move on and go forward about

[Caller Barry]

what we can do things about.

[Caller]

Because this is, this is over. For all intents and purposes.

[Stephen A. Smith]

I'm saying it's important to focus on and to emphasize the importance of him doing what's in the best interest of America. What we can't allow is for him to sell us out to him to get everything that he can by any means necessary. But we end up getting screwed over.

[Caller/Guest]

We got to make sure that he's

[Stephen A. Smith]

doing stuff in our best interest.

[Caller/Guest]

If he does that. That's what I'm talking about.

[Stephen A. Smith]

That's what I'm alluding to.

[Caller/Guest]

That is what matters to me.

[Stephen A. Smith]

866-96787.

[Caller/Guest]

Go ahead, Paul.

[Caller]

I understand that, but that's never been Donald Trump. Donald Trump does what's good for Donald Trump. But if it works out for you, that's a coincidence.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Well, it better be a coincidence this time around.

[Caller/Guest]

And we need to find that quick,

[Stephen A. Smith]

fast and in a hurry because if it's not in our best interest, then

[Caller/Guest]

we need to make sure we don't

[Stephen A. Smith]

empower him for the last two years of his term.

[Caller/Guest]

That's what we got to make sure of. If it's not empowering us, you look out for us, or we gotta find somebody who does.

[Stephen A. Smith]

It's plain and simple. 866-967-6887. That's 86696. POTUS, our number two. Coming your way with your calls and more. Up next,

[Commercial Announcer]

On Deck is built to back small businesses like yours. Whether you're buying equipment, expanding your team, or bridging cash flow gaps, On Deck's loans up to $400,000 help make it happen fast. Rated A by the Better Business Bureau and earning thousands of five star Trustpilot reviews, OnDeck delivers funding you can count on. Apply in [e-mail] depending on certain loan attributes. Your business loan may be issued by Ondeck or Celtic Bank. Ondeck does not lend in North Dakota. All loans and amount subject to lender approval.

[Announcer]

Ondeck is built to back small businesses like yours. Whether you're buying equipment, expanding your team, or bridging cash flow gaps on Deck's loans up to $400,000. Make it happen fast. Rated A by the Better Business Bureau and earning thousands of five star trust pilot reviews, Ondeck delivers funding you can count on. Apply in [e-mail] depending on certain loan attributes. Your business loan may be issued by Ondeck or Celtic Bank. Ondeck does not lend in North Dakota. All loans and amounts subject to lender approval.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Can you commit that the US won't return to full fledged combat operations before the 15 day clock on the mov is up.

[Vice President J.D. Vance]

Well, I can't commit to anything because obviously it depends on what the Iranians are ultimately going to do. As I said up there, what I can commit to is the President's not going to send our military back in unless he has to, unless there's a clearly defined purpose for it. I think that was really the contrast I was trying to draw between open ended military commitments with no clear defense objective and what the President of the United States has done, which is define an objective, go and accomplish that objective. If we've got to do more, of course, that's kind of up to the Iranians. If they try to rebuild their nuclear program, if they try to start shooting at commercial vessels again, that's going to change our calculus. But right now what the President has said is go and make a deal, go and negotiate in good faith. And that's what he's empowered us to do.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Vice President J.D. vance talking about Iran. What's going on with Iran? Here's the bottom line. They can explain it away all they want to, but essentially we don't have any definitive deal in writing, number one. Number two, you bombed them last June. You said you obliterated them and then you bombed them again because you said they were a month away from having a nuclear weapon. Well, if they were a month away from having a nuclear weapon, then they weren't obliterated. And if they were obliterated, then they weren't a month away from having a nuclear weapon. Then you said that the war might last a few days. Then you speculated that it might last four months. Now we don't know when the hell is going to end. That's the reality. It's all over the place.

[Caller/Guest]

And meanwhile, the president, like, believe me,

[Stephen A. Smith]

believe me, trust me, trust me, I know, I know. You can't make this up. You can't make this up. Thanks again to lower coast of CNN for having coming on the show. Really, really appreciate her. You heard what I had to say. I agree with the decision by the Supreme Court essentially upholding laws in Idaho and West Virginia that didn't allow transgenders to compete in female sports. I agree with that decision. Birthright citizenship, I don't blame Trump for pursuing that one bit based on his position about immigration in this country. I don't like the idea of migrants in our country being searched out and removed, particularly those who are here legally certainly don't agree with harassment of any kind or anything like that. But in the same breath, when 12 to 15 million people across the border illegally, what do you think is going to happen? And if you're the liberals, it's kind of seem hypocritical to be making all of this noise about Trump and what they're doing with the whole immigration policy when an opportunity was there to make it happen on a bipartisan level and it didn't happen. No doubt Trump is at fault for that because the Republicans were going to agree to a bipartisan deal under Biden's administration, but Trump got them to hold off on that because he wanted to use it as a campaign tool. I got that part. But what about the fact that Obama had deported 3.1 million folks? They called them the deporter in chief and nobody said a word. And you had networks like CNN doing features on ice. Now, they're the scourges of the earth. There's a level of inconsistency and disingenuousness that, quite frankly, doesn't make Trump look as bad as they want him to look. It makes them look bad. Now, the finances, that's a different matter entirely. When you look at Trump and what

[Caller/Guest]

he's doing, there's no way around that.

[Stephen A. Smith]

You got me there. Because it's inexcusable what he's doing, as far as I'm concerned and looking at this money, 635 million celebration coins, 526 million crypto tokens, mar A Lago and royalties for Trump watches are his business. But that crypto tokens, that 635 million with Celebration coins, doing business with the UAE and them funneling $500 million to

[Caller/Guest]

your crypto company a couple of days before you return to office, those are very, very suspicious actions.

[Stephen A. Smith]

There's no way around that. But I'm here to listen, so long as people are respectful and don't get on my damn nerves. Because you will hear a dial tone. If you do know that, know that. 866-967-6887. That's 86696. POTUS. Let's go to Ken in California. You're live on Straight Shooter with George Truly.

[Caller]

What's up, Stephen A. What's going on, my man?

[Stephen A. Smith]

I'm all right. What's going on?

[Caller]

Some of the things that. I guess I agree with you, man. I agree with you. Some of the things that you were saying. But I'm gonna say this. I'm gonna push back a little bit because, like, some of the things those Democrats be doing me and you will go to jail for. Okay, for example, Nancy Pelosi, you know, with her inside trading deals, you know, Barack Obama, big billionaire as he get, wants to get out of office. You know, at least we see what Trump is doing up front versus some of those.

[Caller/Guest]

And I'm not going to.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Well, let's say this, Ken, let me interject. We don't know if they'll go to jail for it.

[Caller/Guest]

We don't know because again, they could

[Stephen A. Smith]

have done what Trump is doing, meaning they got caught doing it. But it was financially disclosed. They hadn't broken any laws. But they certainly don't come across as looking innocent as we thought they may have been. You could say that. But to say they would have gone to jail, I don't think we can say that. Because with what Trump is doing, he ain't going to jail for it. All right? And so, I mean, it is what it is. Again, none of it's good. None of it's good. We can agree on that. And the Democrats aren't innocent in this at all. Their hands ain't dirty, Their hands ain't clean and stuff like this. You're absolutely right.

[Caller]

Okay. Saying all of that, Nancy, again, Nancy Pelosi, when she took her money out and got word of mouth, I think believe through her husband about you need to pull all your money out because this, these things are going to go down. Meaning the. I can't think of my head.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Here's what I'm trying to say to you. You can't think of it off the top of your head. Chances are you're on the money with what you're saying in terms of how shady it is, but not necessarily illegal. If she's not in jail, she's not being prosecuted.

[Caller/Guest]

Let's leave that alone because everything else is conjecture. Just like we can't sit up there

[Stephen A. Smith]

and say Trump deserves to be in jail because it's on his financial disclosure forms.

[Caller/Guest]

Therefore he let you be. Let it be known.

[Stephen A. Smith]

We all recognize that it's through legal channels. He hasn't violated any laws, which the

[Caller/Guest]

White House was quick to say. And that's that we can't be getting into. They would be in jail or this or that. We don't know that. We can't prove that. What we can say is to be

[Stephen A. Smith]

an elected official supposedly there to serve the people you seem to be serving yourself. It's pretty damn shady. And it's guilty. Guilt on both sides of the aisle. That's what we can say, Ken.

[Caller]

All right, I agree with you. I agree with you, Stephen A. Have a good evening, sir.

[Stephen A. Smith]

You do the same. Thank you so much. Let's go to Barry in Hollywood. You're live with Stephen A.

[Caller/Guest]

What's up, Barry?

[Caller Barry]

Live from the Sunset Strip, baby. Hey.

[Caller/Guest]

Sunset Strip?

You sure already seen Sunset Strip.

[Caller Barry]

Yes, sir.

[Caller/Guest]

Okay.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Go ahead, man.

[Caller/Guest]

Go ahead, bro.

[Caller Barry]

I'm a first. I'm a listener. It wasn't a fan of your sports

[Stephen A. Smith]

show, but I like your political channel.

[Caller Barry]

I carry the. I carry the straight shooter. 24x7 is my handle.

[Caller/Guest]

Okay.

[Caller Barry]

Didn't know that you did, but I want to say this.

[Caller]

I drive.

[Caller Barry]

I drive lifting. In la, I picked up a transgender guy. Pick up a transgender female. I asked him, do you think men should be able to compete in sports? And he's like, hell, yeah, I'd love to be able to punch a woman in the face. You know, same weight class. Anyway, Michael, my argument is, why don't we just create a transgender category?

[Stephen A. Smith]

I have no problem with that at all. I think the only reason. I think the only reason why you wouldn't do that is because there ain't enough of them.

[Caller Barry]

I disagree with that.

[Jesse]

No, I'm saying.

[Caller/Guest]

I'm saying.

[Laura Coates]

I'm not.

[Stephen A. Smith]

I'm not telling you to agree or disagree. I'm saying that. Read the number. For example, in collegiate sports, the number is at 0.002%. I'm just saying somebody's lying.

[Caller/Guest]

I don't know what to tell you.

[Caller Barry]

Here's why they won't create the category. Because politicians will have nothing to run on. That's why they won't create it. It's very simple to put a category together with transgender athletes. Men and women could compete against each other.

[Caller/Guest]

You really think the issue is that important, Barry?

[Stephen A. Smith]

That the politicians needed to have something to run on with all the other issues going on out here?

[Caller/Guest]

No, I don't think he said that.

I'm just saying.

[Stephen A. Smith]

I don't even think they do.

[Caller/Guest]

I don't think it's something to run on. Listen, if we keeping it a buck, you got members of the LGBTQ community that don't like the transgender folks being associated with them. If we keep it in the buck,

[Caller Barry]

they're not trying to compete in sports. They're not running around in dresses talking about, I want to be in women's sports.

[Caller/Guest]

I agree. I'm just saying.

[Stephen A. Smith]

But you're making my point.

[Caller/Guest]

They stand alone. So because they stand alone and the number is so paltry, how do you know or why would you think it's a big Enough issue to want to

[Stephen A. Smith]

hold on to for campaign purposes.

[Caller Barry]

Listen, it's not even a big enough issue for me to even continue to talk about. You want to create the category for transgender athletes, do it.

[Caller/Guest]

Well, you brought it up.

[Stephen A. Smith]

You brought it up. Go ahead.

[Caller Barry]

So here's my second issue. Trump is creating conflicts of interest by hiring people to give him kickbacks on everything he's doing across the board. That includes cryptocurrency. That includes the contractors that are using for this stupid wave pool or whatever he's doing. He's creating a conflict of interest by doing that.

[Stephen A. Smith]

First of all, I think that's a very valid point in your part as it pertains to his businesses. However, Barry, I think that, I think how he shielded himself is saying that, you know what? Something's not put in a blind trust. My sons are running it. I have nothing to do with it. Now, we don't believe that nonsense, but it is plausible deniability.

[Caller Barry]

Let me add to it. He's using taxpayer dollar to enrich himself.

[Stephen A. Smith]

I totally agree.

[Caller/Guest]

I totally agree.

Look, don't get.

Wait a minute.

[Stephen A. Smith]

He's tried. He's tried, like for example, with the slush fund for $1.8 billion. What the hell you coming to the taxpayers for that for?

[Caller/Guest]

If you've made over four and a

[Stephen A. Smith]

half billion dollars on your own since you returned to the presidency a year and a half ago, why the hell could you come up with the 1.8 billion yourself? What the hell you bothering the American taxpayer for? What's wrong with you? That was my problem with him.

[Caller/Guest]

You see what I'm saying? So you're absolutely right.

[Stephen A. Smith]

You're absolutely right.

[Caller/Guest]

I don't disagree with you one bit. But I think with the Democrats that

[Stephen A. Smith]

we have in Congress and on Capitol

[Caller/Guest]

Hill, I think that if he was

[Stephen A. Smith]

flagrantly using taxpayer money in that way, they'd be able to stop it.

[Caller/Guest]

The fact that he has a default

[Stephen A. Smith]

position of being shielded from that stuff and he could point the finger in a different direction is something he's usually he's utilized adroitly. Go ahead.

[Caller Barry]

Okay, so he is over utilizing our tax dollars to enrich himself. Now he's called us. He's called us flakies.

[Caller/Guest]

Right.

[Caller Barry]

He's called us losers, called us stupid, and he's taken advantage of that through the taxpayer system. That's one.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Okay, now you confused me with that one back. How is he doing that through. Through the taxpayer system?

[Caller]

Right.

[Caller Barry]

And then, and then not call you stupid.

[Stephen A. Smith]

I'm just saying to calling me Stupid? How's he using taxpayer dollars to call me stupid?

[Caller Barry]

How can, Stephen, how can I take your money? The money. The money that you've made off a SiriusXM? How can I take your money?

[Interviewer]

Me.

[Caller Barry]

Me take your money and enrich it? Enrich myself with your money? You think?

[Caller/Guest]

No, no, no, I agree. No, I agree with you there. I, I was just asking you the

[Stephen A. Smith]

question about how is somebody's verbiage using my taxpayer dollars. That's all I was asking.

[Caller Barry]

But I understand the verb's got nothing to do with this. Talk facts. If you're a straight shooter, I'm giving it to you straight.

[Caller/Guest]

Well, you're not giving it to me straight, Barry. That's why I'm asking you. Don't get an attitude. I'm asking you to explain it because I didn't comprehend it. I'm actually giving you an opportunity to stop confusing the listener out there. You said his verbiage. He's using taxpayer dollars to spew his verbiage. I said, how? Asking a question ain't a crime.

[Caller Barry]

The verbiage is he's. He's telling you you're stupid and I'm using your money to prove it. That's the verbiage. All right, that's what I'm saying.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Go ahead.

[Caller Barry]

I don't know. I don't care what he's saying, because anything I say, he said, you're going to come back, you're going to stand up for him.

[Caller/Guest]

I'm going to stand up for Trump.

[Caller Barry]

I ain't saying you stand enough for him. Let me back that out.

[Caller/Guest]

I'll take that out.

[Donald Trump]

Thank you.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Thank you very much. Go ahead.

[Caller Barry]

So I want to, if I may say this right, when we were talking about Carmelo Anthony, you said, this kid killed that white boy, right? Said he killed. When you look at the evidence where it wasn't a. All white jury that was looking at the evidence because, you know, white people see shit way differently than everybody else. Okay, all right. And, and you, you jury rigged that. Damn that jury. When you jury rig it right, and you point everything at white folks and say, hey, what do you think? They definitely going to see it differently. So I disagree with you.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Well, well, let me ask you this question. Did you hear all that I had to say when I brought that up?

[Caller Barry]

Listen, I.

[Caller]

To me, the way I read it

[Caller Barry]

from you, it sounded like you were saying, this boy got killed.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Barry, I'm right here on the phone with you. I asked you a question. Did you hear all that I had to say?

[Caller Barry]

Okay, so. Yes. No, I did not hear all that.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Okay, well, let me tell you. Let me tell you, because I'm not gonna hang up on you. Let me tell you what I said. I said, there is no way in hell. That was a jury of his peers. I know they try to say that you don't have to have the racial component of the jury be such and such, but the bottom line is when you tell me it's a jury of my peers, I need to see people who look like me. That same, my hue, my pigmentation, my shared background, et cetera. I didn't see that with Carmelo Anthony. I said that combined with it being in light of the fact that there was a case in Texas, albeit a different one, where a fight took place, but somebody ended up getting stabbed and killed and the killer only got sentenced to 10 years in prison and charged with criminal negligent homicide. I said, in my opinion, it should be explored because I think that this case should have been along those lines as opposed to Carmelo Anthony getting 35 years in prison. I said, that's a damn shame. He's not eligible for parole until 17 years. I don't think that's fair. That's what I said. However. I said, however, he did kill somebody. He did kill him. And there's no way around that reality. Those were my words.

[Caller Barry]

Now go ahead, floors yours, straight shooter to straight shooter. I might stand corrected on that one.

[Stephen A. Smith]

That is what I said, and I am, Barry, I hope you understand, I'm misquoted. I'm misquoted and misrepresented all the damn time. We live in an age where people sit up there, take stuff, splice it up, cut out the other stuff that you say. They do it to me every day. They lie on me all the time. I just can take it because I have platforms to correct myself. If you never called up to this show and spoke to me, Barry, you would have walked around believing exactly what you read. And that's what most people are relying on.

[Caller Barry]

Like I said, straight shooter. The straight shooter. I stand corrected.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Thank you, my brother. Call back anytime, Barry. I appreciate you, bro. Thank you. Adam in Florida, you're live with Stephen A. What's up?

[Caller]

Yes, good evening.

[Caller/Guest]

Thank you for allowing me to

[Caller]

subject.

[Stephen A. Smith]

I'm tell you this, Adam, right now, you said you sound a little bit muffled. I'm putting you on hold, but I'm not going to hang up on you. I just need you to get a clearer signal so when I come back to you, my listeners can understand what you're saying. Okay, I'm not hanging up on you, Aaron, in New Jersey, you're live with Stephen A. What's up, Aaron?

[Caller]

Hey, Stephen A. Yeah, I was gonna talk about, you know, the, the idea of corruption with Trump and you know, how the way people are looking at it now as opposed to when they looked at it back when it was Hunter Biden in Ukraine.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Okay.

[Caller]

And you know, I feel like, I feel like it's almost what Trump's doing now is par for the course. But you don't have, you don't have all this external conflict, which, I mean, don't, don't take Iran, but Iran has already existed as a conflict ridden zone for the last 40 years. But my point was on the Supreme Court case with the birthright citizenship, and I wanted to ask you, do you think Biden administration abused the asylum laws allowing anybody in here and that it was right for birther tourism to proliferate? You know, just wait, hold on, hold

[Stephen A. Smith]

on, hold on, hold on, hold on, Aaron. It don't need to get that complicated. Without question, they abused the laws. When you let 12 to 15 million people cross this border illegally and you swear up and down there is not an immigration crisis, you have abused it. And on top of it all, you were the vice president serving under Barack Obama's administrator or in Barack Obama's administration where not only did he speak about the importance of patrolling and controlling our borders, but he deported 3.1 million people. And you, as his vice president witnessed that, was a part of that, supposedly co signed all of that. And then you become the president and you completely debunk all of that, all

[Caller/Guest]

of that, literally five, six years later, unforgivable. Without question, it was abused by Biden.

Yeah.

[Caller]

So why is it so hard for the left? And I'm not saying you on the left, you know, you're a straight shooter, I guess. Right. But why is it so hard for the left to acknowledge that in this country?

[Stephen A. Smith]

Because, because, because it's easy, Aaron. You know the reason why? Because they're after votes and anything that they say that can be parsed, edited and put out there that can work contrary to, to their aspiring interest, they're going to avoid. So if you go out in public and you speak against these kind of issues and you alienate in any way a portion of the Hispanic populace that can serve to your detriment come election time, and that's what they're primarily interested in. That's why you can't get them to be straight up.

[Caller]

Do you Think that's why, like, people, like. I don't know if it's related or any, but I'm just kind of drawing a parallel here. Like, why that. You remember Megan Rapinoe about the equal pay? Where's her stance? Why aren't they going to her stance on this issue of trans. Trans people in sports?

[Caller/Guest]

Why are they going?

[Stephen A. Smith]

Why are they going to who? Why are they not going to who?

[Caller]

Megan Rap rapido.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Okay, what do you mean, why they're not going to her? She's not a politician. Why would you go to her?

[Caller]

Listen, you don't recall when she was, you know, the big outspoken critic to Trump. I mean, I agree with that.

[Caller/Guest]

I agree with that part, but I'm

[Stephen A. Smith]

saying that she's not a politician. You know, you heard what she has to say, her sound bite or her sound bites. But is she going to really provoke change?

[Caller]

No, I'm talking about the trans ninja issue. It's almost like, why can't she just speak to the fact that, you know, this isn't the right thing to do? What happens in the World cup when we have these, like, coed things? Like, if anybody in the WNBA qualifies qualified to play in the NBA in terms of skill level, would they be there?

[Caller/Guest]

Well, you, you, you.

[Stephen A. Smith]

I get your point, and I, I feel where you're coming from. But when something has been politicized and you are a part of a group and you believe your position may come across as diametrically opposed to that group who you support overall and vice versa, you're going to be very reticent about speaking your mind in a fashion that could be detrimental to its interest. That's the answer to the question. It's not, it's not, it's not, it's not. It's not popular. And I get that part. But you have to understand where they're coming from. I agree with you, but I also understand why they wouldn't say anything. You know, I know plenty of people who don't agree with a lot of the things the group they associated with may ultimately comply with, but they can't say so publicly. And that's the frustration, Aaron, that you're speaking to.

[Caller]

Yeah, I think common sense will become politicized.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Absolutely.

[Caller/Guest]

You know, you're absolutely right.

[Raleigh Gaines]

Which is.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Which is the problem. It's very sad. But, Aaron, there's hope because there's people like you in the world that want to hear common sense and want to spew it. And as long as that exists, there's hope. Appreciate the Call my brother. Thank you. Adam in Florida, you're live with Stephen. A. Go ahead, Adam.

[Caller]

Yes, good afternoon.

[Caller/Guest]

Go well, good evening, Stephen.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Yes.

[Caller/Guest]

Just wanted to tell you thank you for allowing me to be able to opine on some of the things that you talk about, some of the things that I do have some disagreement with you about. I remember a week or so ago you were referring to about, you know what, the foolishness as far as for the Democrats to try to hold Trump to account. And I talk about impeachment.

[Stephen A. Smith]

I talk about the impeachment process.

[Caller/Guest]

Well, yes, exactly. That's what I'm speaking about when I'm.

[Caller Barry]

Yes.

[Caller/Guest]

And the thing is, is that as a country, we are a country of law. And if the Democrats are able to get control of one of the chambers or both of the chambers, I think it is important for our representative democracy that he be held to account for all of the blatant things because he's blatantly playing in our faces. Because you even talked about, you know, what he was trying to do as far as shielding himself from the, which we know of as far as the enrichment that he has, he has done because he tried that during the first administration when he was in office.

[Stephen A. Smith]

And Adam, respectfully, you're rambling. Let's get to the heart of the matter. The man was impeached twice. He was convicted of 34 felony counts. He lost a civil case for $454 million and still reclaimed the presidency. And why was that? Because in our Constitution that stipulates that a convicted felon can't even vote. It forgot to implement in there that you can run for president.

[Caller/Guest]

You can run for the presidency of the United States of America and be the commander in chief, but you can't vote.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Now, tell me how that makes sense, Adam.

[Caller/Guest]

Well, the fact of the matter is that I don't have issue with Trump being elected president because that is the majority of people that decided to vote, they voted for him. But I do think that if you are committing what is considered high crimes, which the impeachment.

Time out.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Time out. My point in bringing what I brought up is that he was convicted of a crime and still allowed to run for the presidency.

[Caller/Guest]

So clearly there's something wrong with our system, number one.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Number two, and perhaps even more important when you talk the way that you talk, what I'm saying to you is

[Caller/Guest]

that there does exist such a thing

[Stephen A. Smith]

as engaging in futility.

[Caller/Guest]

If you could get him, you would have got him.

[Stephen A. Smith]

You didn't get them. So going to the same Old playbook. Wasting taxpayer time, money and interest on stuff that ain't gonna amount to anything to me is an exercise in futility.

[Caller/Guest]

That doesn't mean he's innocent. That doesn't mean he's innocent. It means what you gonna do. So what are you gonna do, Adam, if the man was already guilty of 34 felony counts and impeached twice and lost a civil case of $454 million, and you still can't touch him, what you gonna do this time around?

Adam, that is. That. That is in the state court. Okay? What we're referring to is a political remedy, because that is the political remedy.

Wasn't in the state court. Not the impeachment. Wasn't in the State Court.

The 34.

[Stephen A. Smith]

The 34 count.

[Caller/Guest]

The impeachment was not in the state courts. He was impeached twice.

[Caller Barry]

I'm not.

[Caller]

But.

[Caller/Guest]

But this. Okay, the impeachment, as well as. They're two. Two totally different things. Because impeachment, you just get removed from border.

[Stephen A. Smith]

It doesn't matter.

[Caller/Guest]

It doesn't matter.

[Stephen A. Smith]

It doesn't matter, Adam, because whether it's the impeachment or it's the stuff that happened in state court, I am simply saying to you, you tried a myriad of ways to get them, you didn't get them. And you're asking for the same stuff to happen all over again. It's a waste of time. In my opinion.

[Caller/Guest]

Is your opinion, and you're entitled to it. But I feel as a taxpayer, and I see the level of corruption that we both see, and you even admitted it. You're seeing where they're using. Enriching himself.

[Caller]

So what are.

[Caller/Guest]

So the only thing.

It's not illegal, Adam. They disclosed it publicly. They can't do anything about it but complain.

Okay. Have you heard of the emoluments clause?

No.

That is relative to what? Okay, the emoluments cause is what he was in his first term. You remember when he had the. The hotel in Washington, D.C. and he was enriching himself by having the Secret Service. You know what.

[Stephen A. Smith]

And what did they do about it? And what did they do about it, Adam?

[Caller/Guest]

Okay, no, but I'm just saying that that was.

What did they do about it, Adam? I'm gonna keep coming back to that question. What to do about it?

Okay, well, let me. Let me. Let me answer that, please. What they did is. You remember the inspector generals the second time he went into office, how he gutted the inspector generals, eliminating all those, the oversight. These are the things when you allow a wolf into the hen house. He's going to eliminate all of the guardrails. And that's what he has done. That's all I'm saying. In terms of. We do have that in the Constitution about the monuments clause that you're not supposed to. The president or the chief. The chief officer.

And it's not. And it's not being used now.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Why?

[Caller/Guest]

Because he eliminated those people that were supposed to do.

And how did he eliminate them, General? How did he eliminate him?

[Caller]

He.

[Caller/Guest]

And he. He fired them.

How do you fire them?

He fired them because he. And far.

No, no, I didn't say why. I said how he did it. How he did it is that he returned to office because he won an election. When you see what he's doing with the irs, how can somebody touch him when he's trying to control the irs?

Okay, well, the fact of the matter is, Stephen, if we do. If we're a nation of law and everyone.

No, no, it's not about that. That's not about that. Hell with that. What you got to do is go to the polls. You got to go to the polls and get his ass up out of there. You got to make sure that the people that support him don't get in power at all. So they're sending people home for Fourth of July vacations instead of having them on Capitol Hill doing their damn jobs. That's what you got to do. You can't have 5 million less people showing up to vote for Kamala that voted for Joe Biden four years earlier. That's how you got to do it. You can't do it like that. You can't do it any other way.

[Caller]

But I.

[Caller/Guest]

Well, to me, you always have to hold the person to account. The thing is, is that no one is above that. But I appreciate that you allowed me to opine on this. And, you know, I disagree with you. But you know what? I respect you for the most part. But some of the things that you say as far as, like, you know what the. Both sides of it, I don't necessarily agree because it's not both sides.

[Donald Trump]

And that's.

[Stephen A. Smith]

And that's BS, too. Respectfully, that's BS because some things do have two sides. Not everything, not most things, but some things do have two different sides, two different spins. And me articulating it doesn't make it a crime.

[Caller/Guest]

You got people on a Democratic side that they despise him so much, they would want me to go on the air and lie or act like, I don't know something just so he doesn't

[Stephen A. Smith]

gain any kind of favor from it.

[Caller/Guest]

That is pathetic. That's feeding right into the kind of

[Stephen A. Smith]

people he associates with. I'm not doing that. Have a nice evening.

[Caller/Guest]

Thank you.

[Stephen A. Smith]

866-967-6887. That's 866-96-POTUS. Back with more of your calls in a minute. You're listening live to Stephen A. SiriusXM Mad Dog Sports Radio. Your calls to close out the half hour in a minute.

[Caller Alex]

Hey, Stephen A. This is Alex from Utah. I saw you tonight on Hannity and just wanted to say, you know, please don't base your view of your average Republican conservative on Sean Hannity. You know, although Sean and I probably agree on most issues, the way we represent those issues, the way we talk with others on the other side of the aisle especially, I think, is very different. Your average Republican conservative, I think, is very down to earth, you know, respectful. I think when we get down to it, I think, you know, your average American, we all want the same things. You think we just have, you know, a divisive country. But I think, you know, voices of reason I think show that we're pretty united when it comes down to it. So thanks for all you do. If you'd like to talk sometime, let me know.

[Caller Barry]

Thanks.

[Stephen A. Smith]

That's Alex in Utah sending in a voicemail. SiriusXM.com GetSerious SiriusXM.com GetSerious. That's where you could do. That's where you can go to leave your voicemail messages. Let me tell you what I think. Ultimately, the difference is between Republicans and Democrats in this day and age, outside of the progressive and the magas, you know, the folks on the fringes, outside of them. I'm gonna tell you what I really think, the real difference, differences. I think that both sides are appalled at the thought of the other side being in control because the other side, when they have complete power, never knows how to act. Biden's in control. You open the borders. You're talking about transgender individuals and giving them the right for gender transition without parental consent as children and stuff like that. That drives people crazy. You maga and you look like you're trying to take the country back to the 1940s. Like, if you had judge brothers, there'd be no civil rights legislation. There'd be no voting rights legislation. There'd be nothing like that. You're constantly the victim and the country's been stolen from you.

[Raleigh Gaines]

You

[Stephen A. Smith]

take away the fringes. And I believe Democrats and Republicans can sit at the table together and negotiate and get things done in the best interest of the American people with very little resistance. I really do. 866-967-6887. That's 86696, POTUS. You're listening live to Straight Shooter with yours truly, Stephen A. Not Stephen a. Smith Show. SiriusXM Mad Dog Sports Radio. That's my day job from 1 at 3pm Eastern Standard Time every weekday afternoon. This straight shoot every Wednesday night from 6 to 8pm on POTUS radio, channel 124. Back to the phones we go. Let's go to T Love in Philly. You're live with Stephen A. What's up, T Love? Talk to me.

[Caller]

Hey, hey, my brother.

Listen, I get fired up listening to you talk on this particular show because number one, because you know what you're talking about and number one, because of the situation with the Democrats and Republicans, it's just gotten so out of control. And you just put it so eloquently about taking us back to not the 1940s. They want to take us back to the 17 to the 1800s.

[Caller/Guest]

You know, might be a bit extreme, but go ahead.

[Caller]

Well, you get the drift, though. But I just got some news man that just blew my mind and took me to a whole different direction. And I know this is not show for that, but please allow me to say these few words. I don't know if you heard this, but Jalen Brown has just been traded to 76s.

[Stephen A. Smith]

I do know that. It's just that it's not a sports.

[Caller]

I understand that.

I had this. I had to say it to you because I know you can may go on vacation. So getting to what I was going to say, Trump, what is the difference? What, what, what is the similarity between a magician and a pickpocket and a grifter?

[Caller Barry]

What is the tool that one.

[Caller]

One is.

[Stephen A. Smith]

One is. One is legitimate. One is on the up and up. One means no harm, the other doesn't give a damn.

[Caller Barry]

Okay, that, that is all true.

[Caller]

That is all true. I was going for the one tool that they use. It's misdirection. Misdirection is the number one tool that all of these people con mention the best comment ever, Christian. They use misdirection. We have been misdirected so conveniently and so easily because we so we keep pounding on stupid shit that don't transgender politics. We do. We really need to be pushed in any direction back and forth in that issue. They make it a big deal because it's easier for me to take Money out of your pocket or steal from me when I have you concentrating on something that makes no sense to begin with. A man or. Or. Or male and. And. And female. Listen, I don't want to get into the. The politics of it. If you. You have the right to do whatever you want sexually as long as it doesn't hurt somebody else. Okay?

I'm not.

I'm not.

[Stephen A. Smith]

When transgenders are trying to compete in female sports, you're hurting the females.

[Caller]

It doesn't make sense. It's an issue that doesn't make sense for the Democrats to even try to pull up and take an issue on that. They really hurt themselves a lot, what they're doing, the Republicans. What I hate is that, gosh, you guys have to be able to see what's going on. This guy is. Since he was in office. And I know I'm rambling, so don't even tell me.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Yeah, you know, I'm getting ready to hang up on you. You know that, right? You take it too long, T. Love.

[Caller/Guest]

Go ahead. Come on.

[Caller]

His first presidency, he couldn't get a loan from a bank. He couldn't get a loan from. He was in financial problems and had troubles. His first presidency, he learned how to manipulate the system to a point where now he's become a master at it, and he's making money hand over fist. Hand over fist. He's worth so much more money now than he was during his previous first.

[Vice President J.D. Vance]

He.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Love your rambling. Everybody knows that. I already gave the details.

[Caller]

Well, I'm just saying.

[Stephen A. Smith]

I'm just saying, you got to take into consideration. Callers are waiting on the line. My brother, you rambling. You got to say something, bro. We already know this. He's worth over $6 billion.

[Caller/Guest]

We already know.

[Caller]

They know, but they don't care.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Got you. Appreciate the call, man. I got you. I understand. Loud and clear. I understand. I respect the fact that people want to call, invent, and I get that, but you can't ramble. Can't ramble like that, not when you got callers waiting. Can't do that. It's not fair. Denise, you're live with Stephen A. Right here. Straight shooter.

[Caller/Guest]

What's up?

[Caller Denise]

Yes, hi, Stephen A. This is Denise. Yes, I was just calling because I was a major Trump supporter here from the Navajo reservation because the Democrats consistently talk about taking care of other countries, but when it comes to the United States. What about the reservations? Because my whole thing with the Democrats was that they're constantly saying that they're going to assist the Navajo Nation. But I don't know if you've ever visited the Navajo reservation, but it's like a big time socialist country. Have you ever visited the reservation?

[Stephen A. Smith]

I have not. I have not.

[Caller Denise]

Okay. And we, as the first Americans, when it came to Trump, it was like, okay, well, I'm going to vote for Trump because he's talking about Americans first. Now, I do know that right now it doesn't. Sometimes people are like, well, he's not thinking about Americans first. But when I think about the Navajo reservation, we're trying to get out of social limit itself here. Socialism exists on the reservation, and corruption is just rapid here on the Navajo reservation.

[Stephen A. Smith]

There you go. So you're saying that to say what, Denise? That socialism is what?

[Caller Denise]

That socialism, just like James Watts said, is that if you want to see failed socialism, visit a Navajo reservation or any reservation for that fact. And that, to me, is what Trump is trying to, I guess, or is trying to fight against.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Yeah, he's trying to fight against it, but in the process of trying to fight against it, Denise, the problem is he's fighting against it primarily with rhetoric. Meanwhile, the only person he's enriching is himself and his cronies and his family members. What about the American citizen? Because guess what? You can talk about socialism all you want, to fight it off tooth and nail by making sure you ensure that America is prospering and that we're not brought down by those with a socialist agenda. But because of what he's doing, you've got Mamdani in New York endorsing candidates, and he's more successful doing it than speaker of the House Hakeem Jeffries is a minority speaker, rather Hakeem Jeffries. And so you got to look at it from that perspective as well. Trump is doing stuff to facilitate socialists gaining a little bit more cachet in this country, if not a lot more. They're actually talking about AOC being a presidential candidate in 2028. Even she's hinting at it.

[Caller Denise]

That's what I fear, because I feel that the United States could in fact turn in to a big reservation. Meaning, like, I mean, if you go to the reservation, there's poverty everywhere. It's crazy. It's insane. So I invite you to come to the reservation wherever you get a chance, because, yeah, you will be a third world country within the United States.

[Stephen A. Smith]

I don't need to see that to know that socialism doesn't work for a capitalist society. I don't need to see that. Now, in certain places, socialism has worked to some degree. I mean, we've seen it prosper in Denmark, Finland, Sweden, places like that. You understand where, you know, you've got government programs, you know, significantly funded social programs and stuff like that, while intermingled with capitalism. We've seen that. We've heard about that. But nevertheless, for the most part, socialism won't work in a capitalistic society, and that's what we're not talking enough about. But I appreciate the call and I thank you for it. Tracy in North Carolina, you're live with Stephen A. What's up, Traci?

[Interviewer]

Yes, hi. I tuned in when you were saying that if, and I believe this is correct, if you sort of get rid of the the fringes on either side, then you could have a group of people, Democrat and Republican, who would agree on many things that could be done for this country. I'm a mediator and I personally believe that if you have intelligent, thoughtful people on both sides, you could reach much more admirable agreements than what we have going on with the media publicizing the fringes. So I wonder if there is a group that you, if you know of a group who has that type of individuals to push things forward, especially in light of the upcoming election.

[Stephen A. Smith]

I do not know. I think it's something that we all should look for as these elections approach, though, because I think it's desperately needed. I don't think there's any question about that. I appreciate the call, though. Thank you so much. 866-967-6887. That's 86696, POTUS back with your calls to close out the show in a minute. You're listening live, Stephen H. Straight Shooter style coming your way.

[Caller/Guest]

52 minutes fast hour.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Number two back here on Straight Shooter with yours truly, Stephen A. Eight minutes to go in the SH show calls will be very quick. Y', all, I'm not gonna let y' all ramble because I got to get on out of here. I'm gonna try to get to as many calls as I possibly can before we close out the show. Let's go to Joe in Jersey. You're live with Stephen A. Joe, talk to me.

[Caller]

Stephen, a longtime fan. Two quick comments. One is with the 250th birthday of our country. I'm very proud to come from one of the greatest basketball towns, Philadelphia with Will Chamberlain and Sunny Hill. They don't get any better than them two guys. And Stephen, I'm a Vietnam veteran back in the 60s and 70s when a lot of teenage guys from high schools, dropouts, African Americans, Hispanics, Caucasians, Indians, went to Vietnam to fight to stop communism. Now it seems like we're throwing the word communism around. Do you feel we owe our Vietnam veterans anything? The way we were treated when we came home are still treated.

[Caller Barry]

We.

[Caller/Guest]

Hold on. Stop, stop, stop.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Joe, we owe our veterans everything. We wouldn't be the country that we are if it wasn't for our veterans. Our veterans are not treated nearly as well as they should be. It is disgraceful how this country fails to appreciate the men and women who fought and served in our armed forces to preserve and protect the lives that we have and that we live today. It ain't just Vietnam veterans. It's every veteran, but especially Vietnam veterans and those from World War II. Without question. Without question.

[Caller]

Listen, God bless you.

[Stephen A. Smith]

God bless you. God bless you. Thank you, Joe. Appreciate it. Nikki in Colorado, you're live with Stephen A. Go ahead, Nikki.

[Caller Nikki]

Hi, Stephen A.

[Caller Denise]

This is Nikki.

[Caller Nikki]

I'm really glad that you took my call. I wanted to talk briefly about transgender situation with the scotus. I don't believe that this administration nor the SCOTUS are following the science on our transgender populations. There is science that shows us the recidivism, so that's patients that decide to detransition is less than 1%, and it's even lower than that when our children are allowed to transition when they're younger under the medical care of a doctor. There was also a very recent British Medical Journal study that came out about transgender service people in Europe. And during transition and after transition, how much muscle mass did they have? How much speed did they have?

[Stephen A. Smith]

All of that.

[Caller Nikki]

And that study found that a year after transitioning, the biology of the person that has transitioned is more similar to the gender of their choice.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Okay, stop right there. Start right there, Nikki. Stop right there. I'm not going to get too deep into that with you because we don't have the time, but I'm going to ask you a very, very important question that's going. And this is the only way I'm going to be interested in even having this conversation further with you at a later date. Do you believe that somebody who desires to transition should be allowed to do it as a child without parental consent? Yes and no.

[Caller Nikki]

Absolutely not.

[Stephen A. Smith]

That's all I care about.

[Caller]

Absolutely not.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Everything else I'm willing to listen to at a later date when I have more time. And please call back when we could talk about it early in the show. And I'm good with it. But that was very important to me because let me tell you something right now. You can't tell my child to walk down the street without my permission.

[Caller/Guest]

You ain't raising them. So for a child to be able to do things without parental consent, that's

[Stephen A. Smith]

where they lose me. That's where they lose me. But other than that, I'm good. Thank you for the call, Nikki. We'll talk about this more at a later date. Paul in New York, you're live with Stephen A. Go ahead,

[Caller Barry]

Paul.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Your signals bad. Go ahead, Paul.

[Caller]

Yeah, just responding to the call about holding Trump account.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Go ahead.

[Caller]

He's 80 years old.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Get him out of office and all

[Caller Barry]

we can do is cauterize what he done and make sure it doesn't happen again.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Thank you. Thank you for that. He's 80 years old. Get him out of office and move on.

[Caller/Guest]

Get him out.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Let me tell you something right now.

[Caller/Guest]

If I was running for the presidency, Paul, the first thing that I would

[Stephen A. Smith]

do, I would sit up there, Trump, just go away. We won't bother you if you go away. Get the hell away. Just go away and shut up. Don't want to hear from you. Don't want to see you go live your life in peace, that's it. And move on without causing the taxpayer money and distractions. Appreciate the call, Paul. Thank you. Sean in Missouri. Real quick, Sean, floor is yours.

[Caller]

Hey, I'm a big fan and watch you on Mark Levin and Sean Hanby. I just wanted to ask you, how do you think major sports networks should, and you know, the rest of the media should approach covering the ripple effects of the Title nine, you know, from the Supreme Court,

[Stephen A. Smith]

an unlosable solution. Are you ready for it, Sean?

[Caller]

Yes.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Flow with the women, the naturally born biological women that have their support. Flow with them. If they don't want it, you shouldn't want it, period. And we know they don't. That's how you win. That's how you move on. It's very simple. Appreciate the call. Rodney in Oklahoma, you got a minute? Floor is yours. Well, I think tonight you're hitting, hitting

[Caller]

it right on the head.

[Stephen A. Smith]

I agree with a lot of things, things he said. And the thing about it is that Trump has so much power because his cult or the lot of the people

[Caller/Guest]

that vote for him, they don't care what he does.

[Stephen A. Smith]

They don't pay that much attention. I'm around a lot of them here in Oklahoma.

[Caller/Guest]

They don't.

[Caller Barry]

They don't.

[Stephen A. Smith]

First of all, a lot of them will never hear how much money he's stolen. And when they do hear it, they just Say the other side doesn't. It's part of their problem. Personality.

[Caller/Guest]

And you have to take that into consideration.

[Stephen A. Smith]

That's not a bad. That's not a bad take at all. I don't think that's the way they should think. I think that they are highly intelligent people in Oklahoma, just like there is across all of America. And when you hear about the money he's making. Nah, you can sit up there and say, they all do it, and I'm down for that.

[Caller/Guest]

I got that.

[Stephen A. Smith]

He was a businessman before he came into office. And if he's alive, he'll be a businessman when he's gone. I got that part. My point is to use the presidency to enrich yourself and to do so at the expense of the American people. Meaning you're not enriching us. You're not taking care of us. You're not making our quality of life better, but you're making your quality of life better. To me, it's unpresidential. It's un American. Because you should be putting the American people before you put yourself. Because you good. Not just because you're the president, but because you're a billionaire. You're already taken care of. How about thinking about somebody other than your damn self? That's what we should implore him to do. Put the American people first. That's what any president should be doing. He's not doing that, it appears. And he needs to get his. His damn act together. Plain and simple.

[Caller/Guest]

That's it.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Signing off. I'm on vacation. Laura Coats is filling in for me next week, y'.

[Caller/Guest]

All.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Peace of love.