White House interview: Stephen A. Smith pressed Donald Trump on midterms; it went as some would expect

A White House interview takes shape

The interview followed a White House dinner attended by Smith as a guest of comedian and commentator Bill Maher. Smith said the evening lasted more than four hours and described it as substantive and respectful.

He said Trump answered every question and pushed back defiantly against criticism. The interview was recorded at the White House and appeared on Smith’s YouTube channel Thursday evening.

Smith presses on midterm results

Smith opened by asking about the midterm elections, in which Democrats won in places they had not won for decades. Trump replied that he was not on the ballot and said the outcome would have been different if he had been.

Smith returned several times to whether Trump bore any responsibility for the results. He also pointed out that Trump had campaigned as if he were on the ballot, and questioned the logic of blaming news coverage when Republicans had won in earlier elections.

Trump turns to his record

Trump responded with claims about poll numbers and the economy, and said other world leaders had described America as “hot” again after it had been “dead.” He also said he would defeat Barack Hussein Obama in a hypothetical 2028 contest for a third term. Smith said, “You can’t have it both ways,” as he challenged Trump over denying responsibility while citing favorable numbers. Trump then read a list of actions he said had benefited Black Americans.

A difficult interview dynamic

Smith appeared prepared with questions and followed up more often than many interviewers do, while also seeming pleased to speak with Trump and charmed by him personally. That dynamic, the account suggested, made it harder to question Trump as president.

By about halfway through, Smith sounded exasperated as Trump moved from the midterms to his accomplishments and criticism of Joe Biden. The repeated follow-ups did not produce an admission of responsibility; Trump instead shifted to other claims and topics.