Sports commentator Stephen A. Smith fired back at President Donald Trump’s “low IQ” jab, saying, “You want to talk about IQ? I could say I put my IQ up against yours any day of the week.”
Trump’s “low IQ” remark came after a C-SPAN reporter asked Trump to respond to Smith’s comment that he would blame Trump if the New York Knicks lost, noting that Smith has also discussed the possibility of running for president.
“I think he’s a nice guy, but you need a certain aptitude to run for president. You need a high IQ. I’m not sure Stephen has that,” Trump said.
Trump attended Game 3 of the NBA Finals between the New York Knicks and San Antonio Spurs on Monday, where the Knicks’ 4-point loss was followed by boos from fans and criticism of his attendance.
Stephen A Smith responds to Donald Trump calling him a low IQ individual on First Take:
“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… https://t.co/iI1DpLjkRb pic.twitter.com/Edon6R1fzF
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(@big_business_) June 9, 2026
Smith acknowledged Trump’s compliment on ESPN Tuesday, saying, “I do appreciate the fact that you called me a ‘nice guy,’” before arguing that fans and the atmosphere surrounding the game were disrupted by the security measures and attention that accompanied Trump’s visit.
Trump is the first president to attend the NBA Finals, where he was joined by White House communications director Steven Cheung, Office of Presidential Personnel Director Dan Scavino, and other Cabinet members.
“Brunson played better when you weren’t there. Mikal Bridges played better when you weren’t there. Karl-Anthony Towns played better when you weren’t there. Landry Shamet played better when you weren’t there,” Smith said. “The crowd was festive, hyped, and more intimidating when you weren’t there.”
STEPHEN A. SMITH CALLS TRUMP ‘NARCISSISTIC’ FOR ATTENDING KNICKS GAME
Smith then took aim at Trump appearing to fall asleep at the game, saying, “It’s clear you need your rest, isn’t it? The New York Knicks need it, too. Give New Yorkers a break. Stay at the White House.”
“Go to bed, mister. Do whatever it is that you got to do. Just stay the hell away from the New York Knicks for the rest of this series. Pretty please with sugar on top,” Smith added.