Stephen A. Smith Responds To Donald Trump Questioning His IQ

BY Alexander Cole
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NBA: Finals-New York Knicks at San Antonio Spurs
Jun 5, 2026; San Antonio, Texas, USA; Stephen A. Smith looks on before the game between the San Antonio Spurs and the New York Knicks in game two of the 2026 NBA Finals at Frost Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Scott Wachter-Imagn Images IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Stephen A. Smith and Donald Trump appear to be in a public spat of sorts, and now, things are beginning to escalate.

Stephen A. Smith was not a big fan of Donald Trump showing up to the New York Knicks' NBA Finals game on Monday. The Knicks were up 2-0 on the San Antonio Spurs, and the fear was that Trump would curse the team. So far, that is proving true as the Spurs have won and made the series closer.

Prior to the game, Smith made it clear that if the Knicks were to lose, he was going to blame it on President Trump. After last night's game, Trump was made aware of these comments. He then went for Smith's intelligence, suggesting he is a low-IQ individual.

On First Take this morning, Smith gave his response and did not hold back. He urged Trump to debate him on one of his platforms, noting that the President has been ducking him for months.

Stephen A. Smith Claps Back

“You wanna talk about IQ, I could say I could put my IQ against yours, I got something even better I could ask you why you been running from me for the past year since I asked you to talk to me, I could ask you to debate me since you think you’re that dude. We could go a myriad of ways," Smith said.

Smith knows how to sound like a mob boss in these moments, and that was especially true here. Stephen A. is someone who values his intelligence, and to have it called out by President Trump was the ultimate insult.

Ultimately, this Knicks basketball business gets serious. New Yorkers are starved for a championship, and they will snap at anything that potentially puts those championship hopes at risk.

About The Author
Alexander Cole is the current editor-in-chief of HotNewHipHop. He started at HotNewHipHop back in 2018 where he began as a Sports and Sneakers writer. It was here where he began to hone his craft, putting his journalism degree from Concordia University in Montreal, Quebec, to good use. Since that time, he has documented some of the biggest stories in the hip-hop world. From the Kendrick Lamar and Drake beef to the disturbing allegations against Diddy, Alex has helped HotNewHipHop navigate large-scale stories as they happen. In 2021, he went to the Bahamas for the Big 3's Championship Game. It was here where he got to interview legendary figures like Ice Cube, Clyde Drexler, and Stephen Jackson. He has also interviewed other superstar athletes such as Antonio Brown, Damian Lillard, and Paul Pierce. This is in addition to conversations with social media provocateurs like Jake Paul, and younger respected artists like Kaycyy, Lil Tecca, and Jeleel!

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