Let's get right to it.
Okay, some political talks, specifically my conversation on Fox News this weekend with the one and only Mark Levin. They called him the great one conservative radio host throughout the country. Plus you can catch him on Patriot Radio on Sirius XM channel one twenty five. He's been a phenomenal host there for years. Nevertheless, I appeared on his show, Life, Liberty, and Levin, which airs on Fox News on Saturday nights
and Sunday nights. And while I was there, I gave my thoughts on the twenty twenty four election and expressed some regret about what has transpired with the Democrats and Vice President Kamala Harris. And I've said this on many many occasions. I don't like what I'm seeing from the Democratic Party. I said it on Life, Liberty and Levin to Mark Levin himself. I've said it to this audience on various occasions. I'm saying it again now backing up
from it. Nevertheless, I have to tell you that, and I don't blame Mark Levin for this, But did you see the headline on Fox News?
Did you see it? Did you see it?
In case you didn't see it. Put it up there for us folks. Let them see it right there. Look at that headline right there.
Stephen A.
Smith regrets backing Vice President Harris open to voting GOP.
Not interested in the fear mongering.
Before I go to the actual clip of what I literally said, so I can show you all myself, let me stay for the record, I throw no fault in the direction of Mark Levin for the headlines as a reporter, as a commentator and punded throughout the years, that have been many many times where I have said something and having no responsibility for the headlines whatsoever, the headlines didn't completely accurately portray what I had said.
So if I've.
Gone through that, I'm certain not gonna blame Mark Levin. I know, would I ever accuse him of misrepresenting me. Just like I've been friends with Sean Hannity for over twenty years, that also applies to Mark Levin, who I've also known now are pretty much twenty plus years.
So he is a friend.
He is somebody that I communicate with often. No, we do not agree on a lot.
Of our politics, just as is the case.
For Sean Hannity, but I respect those guys, and I'm known them for years and they've always watched my back always, and I always appreciate that, and I'm always gonna do the same for them.
So it's not about that, but it is important that.
You all know exactly what I said because headlines like that turn to go viral. So, without further ado, this is just a small clip of Mark Levin asking me the question that he asked.
And I want you to listen to my answer. Here it is Stephen A. Smith. So could you see yourself see what you see now?
And obviously Donald Trump can't run resident again, but if he could, under the current circumstances, could you see yourself voting for him?
Quite possibly.
I'm not going to sit up there and dismiss that anymore. I think we're beyond that. He would have to prove a lot, Mark, and I'm not talking about policy now for a second, allow me to say this. What concerned me about Donald Trump and the reason I voted against him and voted for Kamala Harris, was because I felt that he would be divisive, that he would create chaos, because he demands such a level of loyalty and fealty to him, and that would take priority over governing our nation.
That was my concern, and so I'm looking for both sides to work across the.
Os from one another.
Having said that, when you see some of the things that he said, if he follows through on some of the things that he has said, it's not just about eradicating inflation and proving the economy, obviously controlling our borders. These are all things that I care about, make no mistake about that, and I certainly would support him in that regard. But it can't be just about fealty to
him and loyalty to him. It has to be about getting the job done on behalf of what's in the best interest of the American people as opposed to yourself, and not engaging in the kind of juvenile tendencies tweeting all the time and going after people who are really much irrelevant in the grand.
Scheme of things.
You do things like that, and you show that you're the adult in the room. Yeah, I don't think anybody could dismiss Donald Trump at this particular moment in time, not just because of him, but because of what we've seen the Democrats do. That is what I said anywhere in that headline did you hear me say I regret voting for Kamala Harris.
You did not hear me say that.
But I understand how it's a fine line, because I do have my trepidations and feelings of disgust when it comes to the Democratic Party, how they handle things leading up to the election, how they handled the year prior to the election, with Joe Biden refusing to step away and going back on his word to be a transitional president. Okay, I don't like the fact that, you know, they got one hundred or one point five billion dollars and you know, next thing, you know, we're looking for where.
The money went.
I don't like the fact that people like Oprah Winfrey and others were paid before doing interviews with Kamala Harris. I don't like a whole bunch of stuff. A lot of it smells. But I think it's important to make this point. And this is directly aimed at conservative media.
It may be.
Because they've been vilified for years and they've found themselves to be at a distinct disadvantage when it comes to the leftists on the media side.
I get that part, but.
It doesn't negate the fact that when it comes to conservative media, they won't hesitate to misrepresent your words a bit for a better pro Trump, anti Democrat headline, because indeed they like having prominent influential voices come over to their way of thinking. To some of them, not all, not most, but to some of them, it makes it's like, oh my goodness. You know, there are a lot of folks out there, you know that do think like us, that do side with us, to do favor our mode
of thinking. And we're not as alienated as you think. And I think there's a lot of folks within conservative media that are prone to doing something like that, just like you can look on the left, because the liberal media will misrepresent your words in a heartbeat to make you seem more extreme and to work very very hard to tie you in with the Trump and the Maga folks. We've seen that happen to me on both sides. So you know, I just felt the need to say that
because it's important that people understand. I'm going to say it again and I'm going to have it put up on the screen every time I'm on this show and I'm talking politics.
I am an independent, I am.
Not a Democrat, So I apologize it for anything anti anti dam that I may say, or am I a Republican and I'm certainly not.
Apologizing for that.
I have things that I am conservative about, and I have things I am liberal about. I am a staunch conservative when it comes to my money. I'm a physical conservative.
You damn right. I ain't politizing you. Nobody.
My man brand is in student of me. You got a problem with that, be I don't have problem.
You got problem with that? Get better?
You got problem with that, you better not have a problem with that.
I am a physical conservative.
I can't stand these damn high taxes in New York, New Jersey, in California.
Okay, so trust you me.
Anytime I can get away with moving to another place and not having to pay them damn taxes, I'm not gonna hesitate.
Let's get that out the way.
But I'm very liberal when it comes to living and let living. It doesn't matter whether I approve or disapprove, whether I like or don't like, I believe in living and let living.
That's how I roll.
Gay rights, abortion rights, whatever the case may be.
Live your life, Live your life.
You said you want to be transgendent to gohead be trans you're a gay individual, go ahead live your life.
Now when you try to say you're a guy and.
That you're transitioning into being a lady and you want to compete against women, now you got a problem because I think that puts women at a distinct disadvantage.
That's how I feel about it. That's me looking out for women.
That's not me going up against somebody that's transgender. And my bigger point is, once again, I wanted to make sure that everybody knew that the headline didn't accurately depict what I had said to Mark Levin.
If I wanted to call out Vice President Kamala Harris like that, I would.
I'm the guy that went at former President Barack Obama for talking down to black men, claiming it must be misogyny and misogyny if you didn't vote for Kamala Harris.
I didn't appreciate that. I didn't appreciate that, but that's what it is.
I just wanted to make sure that we're clear nobody's backing up or apology for who I am and where I stand. And as I look at President Elect Donald Trump coming into office, let me be very very clear about what I support when it comes to him, so.
We all we're not misconstruing anything.
I support eradicating inflation, I support lowering taxes, I support closing our borders. I support prioritizing national security.
Yes I do.
I'm not gonna go with his words about law and order, but damn it, it's one of my favorite shows for a reason.
I like it.
I believe in law and order, and I want to make sure that I'm clear about that. So everything that Donald Trump has preached about I'm not against, which is why if he acts right and doesn't engage in pettiness and don't put incompetence in cabinet positions and stuff like that, I'm going to support the pri I don't want him to fail. I want him to succeed, as long as
it means the country seeds, not him the country. Now let me go to another sort of Donald Trump's subject here, and it involves former Representative Matt Gates because we gonna get to Washington and the details of the House House Ethics Committee's report on former Florida Representative Matt Gates obtained
by CNN. By the way, the report found that Gates paid tens of thousands of dollars to women for sex or drugs on at least twenty occasions, and one of those occasions included sex with a seventeen year old girl in twenty seventeen. You might recall that Gates was nominated by President elect Donald Trump to be United States Attorney General, the top cop. The report concludes that Gates violated Florida
state loads, including the state statutory rape law. The GOP lead panel GOP led panel chose to take the rare step of releasing a report about a former member who
resigned from Congress. His A portion of the statement from the House Ethics Committee on the findings from the Gates investigation quote, the committee determined there is substantial evidence that Representative Gates violated House rules and other standards of conduct, prohibiting prostitution, statutory rate elictit, drug use, in permissible gifts, special favors or privileges.
And obstruction of Congress end quote. As for Gates, he filed a lawsuit.
Today seeking an emergency temporary restraining order to try to stop the release of the report that details the alleged sexual misconduct and alleged drug use. Again, Gates was President elect Trump's initial pick to run the Justice Department as Attorney General. Y'all are gonna find it shocking what position I'm about to take, but I'm gonna take it considering all the things that Donald Trump was accused of.
And how the GOP fought to defend him.
It's kind of ironic, I say, hypocritical that they would do this to Gates. The GOP lead panel I'm talking about.
Don't you think.
Isn't there an air of inconsistency to defend Donald Trump while he was running for reelection so fervently, Yeah, you're throwing Matt Gates under the bus. I'm just talking to the GOP, the GOP lead panel I'm talking about.
That's all I'm saying.
I'm not absolving Gates from any shred of guilt. That's not where I'm going. I don't know the details. I'm gonna believe what they report. I'm just saying it's a little bit inconsistent. Having said that to Matt Gates, it's called come up into my man. That's what you're receiving because you weren't just despised by the Democrats, you were despised by the GOP, your party.
They couldn't stand you. They don't like you.
Remember how you're forced Kevin McCarthy out. Remember that, Remember when during the Republican Convention Kevin McCarthy was doing an interview and you were behind him trolling him with the childishness. You already got him booted out or speak of the House.
You already took care of that.
But every chance you had to take a dig at him was something trivial. You didn't hesitate because you didn't like him. Well, there were a lot of people, likely on the GOP panel that did like Kevin McCarthy. They did like some of the other Republicans that don't like you, and they said, this is an opportunity to get this dude, even if he's one of our own.
Think about that, and you're Matt Gates.
See what I'm talking about when I talk about the reporters of being the adult in a room, showing a level of class and decorum, so you dissuade people from wanting to come at you to some degree, see what I mean. I'm not again. I don't know what happened. I don't know what you did with some seventeen year old. I don't know about sex tapes or payments.
People. I don't know any about this.
I'm talking about your behavior with your contemporaries that was completely childish and unnecessary. That's what I'm talking about. And now they came back and got you. Now you stepped down from your position in the House because you were supposed to be the top cop.
Which brings me to Trump.
Why would you even consider putting that man in the position where he was going to buy as the top cop in this nation, be an attorney general?
See this is the concern that we should have with Donald Trump.
Because Matt Gates is a loyalist. He's somebody that supported you. But what about the qualifications? If it was for Republicans, let you know, they weren't gonna vibe with that decision. Donald Trump would still have him trying to be the next United States Attorney general.
Why?
Why to Pete hag Seth for Fox News, I see your work. You work with one of my best buddies, Will Kine, used to work with me at ESPN's now over at Fox. I root for Will Cain all day every day. Pete hagg Seth. They talk about you and some of your personal transgressions, alleged transgressions. That is, I don't know any of that, nor am I trying to talk about that.
Handle your business. Here's my issue.
You're a host on Fox News during the weekends, not even the weekday, the weekends. Listen to me, Brandon, I'm talking to you. You're a Fox News host on the weekend. There's nothing inside. I know that you served in the military. I know that you served our country with honor and brave head buy everything.
That I've read. But you're a Fox News host and suddenly you.
Think it's good that you are going to head the Department of Defense over three million employees.
You see, this is the problem. This is the problem.
We've got hundreds of qualified people out there who are Republicans who support Donald Trump and Donald Trump you're gonna go with Pete Hexath. Really, that's what we're doing. Petex syth Man. Come on, bro, Now, I understand the presidency is a different animal, and it's an elected position and as a result, you know, but you got the House, you got the Senate, you got a cabinet, you got Chief of staated, you got all of this stuff.
This is the military, bro, this is the military. You know. Should we go to war with Iraq? What's up with Iran? Should we pull out of Ukraine?
Should we continue to support him against Russia? The Israel Palestinian conflict involving Hamas and ultimately has a balah, new leadership, new regime in Syria.
I mean, we're supposed to look.
At you and say we're comfortable with you being one of the dudes in the president's air main dudes in the president's ear as the.
Guy running the Department of Defense.
I understand you serving in the cabinet in some capacity, but damn you just gonna wake up and run three million people.
See, there's kind of stuff, bait. There's kind of stuff to make me hesitant, Betty.
This kind of stuff, Grift, this kind of stuff talking to my staff here, This kind of stuff that makes me worry. That's what I'm talking about when I'm talking about Trump. That's what I'm talking about when I'm talking about some of the folks, some of the folks.
In conservative media.
Never before in our lifetime would you have tolerated such decisions by an elected official when it came to their cabinet members. Forget the behavior, forget the allegations and the accusations I'm not getting in any of that. Pete Haksaith, I'm sure he's very smart, very knowledgeable, obviously cares about this country.
His views might be different than.
A lot of people, but a lot of people agree with his views.
I get that.
I'm only talking about going from being a host on Funk's News on a.
Saturday to run in a department with three million people. That's our military.
In charge, overseeing generals and lieutenants and captains.
And everybody else in the front line US. That is what worries me. That shit is scary.
That's what I mean when I talk about how Trump can scare the living daylight out of people and cause chaos. You can't tell me that ain't a bunch of people officially, resume wise, conspicuously more qualified than what Matt Gates brought to the table.
And what Pete hagg says. And I'm not blumping the.
Two because of their accusations. I'm lumping the two because of the qualifications on their resume.
Come on, y'all, come on.