Stephen A. Smith Says Phone Was Banned As Backlash Over Dinner With Trump Continues

Stephen A. Smith said he had to put his phone away before his dinner with Donald Trump. That was his answer to Charlamagne Tha God’s call for a public record of the White House visit.

The ESPN host addressed the point on “Straight Shooter” on October 20. He said he learned about the phone rule at the gate and handed his phone to his bodyguard.

“Would you have preferred that I turned around and not attend the meeting?” Smith asked.

For Charlamagne, the issue was who got to shape the story after dinner. On “The Breakfast Club”, he argued that media figures should speak with Trump on the record. That way, viewers could judge the exchange for themselves.

He wasn’t against the meeting itself. He wanted to see the guests press Trump, not just hear their accounts later. With no record to watch, he said, people were left to ask why the guests went and what they hoped to gain.

“I don’t want to just hear it from you after the fact. I want to see it,” he said.

Smith said Bill Maher, Maher’s executive producer and Kid Rock also had to give up their phones.

He said he respected Charlamagne and “The Breakfast Club” and had called him before the visit. He didn’t view their critique as a personal attack. Smith said he, too, would have liked to record the exchange.

The two had spoken about Trump before. In March 2024, Smith told Charlamagne he wouldn’t vote for Trump due to his conduct. That was more than two years before the dinner.

The visit took place on October 15. On CNN the next night, Smith said he went to make a case for historically Black colleges and universities. He cited his role as an HBCU Week ambassador and the chance to speak to someone with power to help. He said the evening ran four hours and 20 minutes.

Smith told CNN he told Trump that firms feared giving to those schools because of his stance on diversity, equity and inclusion. He said Trump agreed to look into it, but had made no firm pledge. Smith also said he had pressed for proof of Trump’s upbeat view of the economy.

On October 21, the show played Smith’s answer. Charlamagne said he would have wanted a sit-down that the public could see. He would have sought an interview, not a private dinner chat. He said he wasn’t holding Smith to a higher standard than anyone else. But he noted that elected leaders had to speak to Trump.