ESPNās Stephen A. Smith pushed back against Fox News host Sean Hannity on Thursday after being asked point-blank how he could have āmissedā President Joe Bidenās mental fitness.
In June 2023, Smith publicly criticized Bidenās bid for reelection, urging Democrats to nominate someone else due to the presidentās age and ability to serve another four years. On āHannity,ā the Fox host asked Smith how he had missed the presidentās mental fitness during the first three years of his term, highlighting how he had played āmontage after montageā for him.
āHold it. Let me answer. First of all, donāt try that with me. I called Joe Biden out a year before the election. I got raked through the coals right along with you. When you got raked through the coals, I was right there,ā Smith said. āEverybody was like, what are you talking about? You donāt know anything.ā
Hannity could be heard noting that Smithās callout of Biden came only a year before the presidential election, to which Smith admitted that his criticism of Biden was delayed.
āBut the bottom line is I was right there the year before the election. Thatās number one,ā Smith said.Ā āNumber two, when I talked about Kamala Harris and voted for her, what I said is I didnāt want chaos replicating what we saw in his first term.ā
āI figured you got the House. You can win the House. You can win the Senate. Youāll have people that can literally position her and pull her to the center and there wonāt be as much chaos because I didnāt like the way that he acted. Thatās all I said,ā Smith said.
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By January 2024, Smith continued to echo his opposition to Bidenās reelection bid, saying during an interview with Howard Stern that it was a ādisgraceā the party was ābeggingā an 82-year-old man to run and serve another four years. Following Bidenās withdrawal from the race, Smith announced his support for Vice President Kamala Harris. However, after President-elect Donald Trumpās win, Smith publicly expressed regret for voting for the party in November.
Smith went on to say that he didnāt have āa problemā with Trumpās position on the economy, border or foreign affairs, but said Trump was not āthe right man for the job.ā
āSo it was a lot of things that we were agreeing with. I just didnāt believe that that man was the right man for the job because I said the presidency is a statesmanship, is a statesmanās position. I believe that somebody else would have been better,ā Smith said.
āBut in hindsight, looking at what has transpired post election and seeing the level the groveling one minute or folks on Capitol Hill during these confirmation hearings and youāre acting like youāre campaigning. He won the election, and look at how theyāre still acting! Itās all disgusting to watch. Itās all disgusting,ā Smith said.
Throughout Bidenās term, Republicans had called out the presidentās mental fitness; however, Democrats had continuously defended his cognitive abilities and downplayed the concerns. During a June 17 press briefing, Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Republicans were creating videos of Biden appearing confused or stumbling on his words, labeling them as ācheap fakes.ā
However, following Bidenās poor debate performance against Trump in June, Democrats began to echo Republicansā concerns about Bidenās mental fitness, with the presidentās polls quickly dropping in the race. With fewer than five days left in office, Biden is set to leave with his lowest approval rating, as only 36% of Americans support his term, according to a CNN poll conducted by SSRS.
(Featured Image Media Credit:Ā Screenshot/Fox News/āHannityā)
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