The News
Stephen A. Smith, sports television personality and ESPN host, said that he believes Donald Trump is not racist, but that he will not vote for him.
Smith was speaking at the Semafor Media Summit on Monday. He said that he used to enjoy talking to Trump about sports before he ran for president, but that he does not talk to him now.
“I think he’s changed, but I will tell you this: I think when people call him racist and stuff like that, I’ve never thought of Trump that way. He’s not against black people, he’s against all things not named Trump,” Smith said.
Smith said that he is has conservative views and that he is not “beyond voting Republican” but that, “I am beyond voting for Trump.”
He said that it was not because of Trump’s politics but because the presidency required “statesmanship” and that the president had to be someone who wants to galvanize the country, not divide it.