Stephen A. Smith has made a living by offering his commentary on a variety of topics, and this week he’s sharing his strong political opinions that may have some of his fans divided. The sports pundit sat down on Fox News’ Hannity on Wednesday (Aug. 20) and praised President Trump for his handling of Russia-Ukraine negotiations.
The segment began by showing clips of the ESPN host’s previous rants about how he believes certain Democrats in office were more responsible for events that led to war over the years. The First Take host said he’s open to critiquing Trump’s actions, but wants to give him credit for this situation specifically.
“There have been a few occasions where [Trump] deserves criticism, but on this particular situation, he’s done more than any Democrat in office has tried to do when it comes to Russia. So, I said so, and I don’t regret it… There is no doubt that he has done more than practically almost any administration has tried to do when it comes to ending conflicts around the world and he’s put himself in a position where the political capital he stands to gain isn’t necessarily that great,” Smith said.
TURNBERRY, SCOTLAND – JULY 27: U.S. President Donald Trump announces a trade deal with the EU after a meeting with President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen at Trump Turnberry golf club on July 27, 2025 in Turnberry, Scotland. U.S. President Donald Trump is visiting his Trump Turnberry golf course, as well as Trump International Golf Links in Aberdeenshire, during a brief visit to Scotland from July 25 to 29
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He continued, “His willingness to do so obviously something that shouldn’t be ignored and something that should be, dare I say, applauded to some degree. Again, that doesn’t mean I like everything he does… there’s not much to gain for him in a lot of this, yet he engages anyway and you have to give credit where credit is due.”
Watch the full Hannity segment with Stephen A. Smith here.
Earlier this week, Trump phoned into Fox & Friends and revealed his main motivation behind positioning himself as a “mediator in chief” between Russia and Ukraine. When asked about brokering an end to the war, he revealed he’s propelled by the thought of the action possibly helping him “get into heaven.”
“If I can save 7,000 people a week from being killed, I think that’s pretty— I want to try to get to heaven if possible,” Trump said.
The 47th President went on and revealed he’s not confident in his chances as of this moment. “I’m hearing I’m not doing well. I am really at the bottom of the totem pole. But if I can get to heaven, this will be one of the reasons,” he added.
