Commentator Stephen A. Smith refused to apologize for attending a dinner at the White House hosted by President Trump on Thursday.
Mr. Smith was invited by talk show host Bill Maher, who previously visited Mr. Trump for a White House dinner in April 2025, and the pair were joined by musician Kid Rock, a staunch Trump supporter.
On “The View” Wednesday, Mr. Smith, a guest on the show, responded to panel member Ana Navarro’s criticisms of his White House visit.
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“I went to the White House to look him in the face and to address” things, Mr. Smith told the panel. Mr. Smith is a supporter of historically Black colleges and universities, a topic that was brought up to Mr. Trump during the dinner, among others.
“There are so many people that have this mentality [of], ’why even waste time talking to him?’” Mr. Smith told “The View” panel. “Whether you like it or not, he’s the president of the United States of America. He’s not going away until 2028.
“You’re going to have to deal with him, and when it comes to getting things done, I’m all about exhausting every means and every measure to try to do what’s in the best interests of our community,” Mr. Smith continued. “I’m not apologizing for that to anybody.”
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