ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith said Tuesday evening on NewsNation that President-elect Donald Trump’s rhetoric toward foreign countries could be argued as a “return” to normalcy when compared to Democrats’ push of “woke culture.”
Since winning the 2024 presidential nomination, Trump has vocalized his idea of the U.S. taking over Canada, the Panama Canal, and Greenland. On “Cuomo,” NewsNation host Chris Cuomo questioned the ESPN host on his thoughts regarding Trump’s suggestion of absorbing Canada as the 51st state.
“We know better than that, and here’s the biggest reason why we know better because Trump was the Republican nominee who’s now the president-elect certified. He’ll be the president January 21 officially,” Smith said. “If Canada were to become the 51st state, that’ll be more Democrats because that’s the way they would lean, and we know he certainly doesn’t want that. So that reality alone shows that it’s all pomp and circumstance and much to do about nothing.”
“Where I would disagree or tilt in a different direction is in this regard. He’s a deal maker. He’s a ribbon cutter. These are the kinds of things people say to describe Donald Trump. They also throw out the words dealmaker, a dreamer, etc,” Smith added. “People can make the argument that at least that’s a return to the norm because of what we had been getting from the other side.”
Trump posted to his social media platform on Christmas Day, teasing how Canada could become the 51st state of the United States, boosting its economy and military security. The suggestion from the president-elect came after he had threatened both Canada and Mexico with sweeping tariffs in early December 2024 unless they did more to limit illicit drugs and illegal immigration entering the U.S.
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Smith went on to say that, in comparison to Democrats’ rhetoric on “woke culture,” such as transgender rights and other top issues for the party, voters could make an argument for why Trump’s threats are “normal.”
“What were they talking about when they looked at the Democrats, and they saw this focus on woke culture? Saw this focus on transgender rights and things of that nature and got us veered in a different direction that made Americans look at this country and say, ‘What the hell are we doing?’Where the hell are we going?’ This kind of language — no matter how frivolous we may think it is, no matter how we may suspect that it’s much ado about nothing,” Smith said.
“At least it sounds like a typical politician talking a bunch of smack giving us a bunch of superlatives knowing that it’s much ado about nothing. At least America can sit up there and say, ‘Now that’s normal. We can relate to that. That’s familiar to us.’ I think that’s what you’re seeing a lot of people say,” Smith said.
Over the last four years, the Biden-Harris administration has pushed for an increase in DEI initiatives within the government, with President Joe Biden signing an executive order in June 2021 to establish “a government-wide initiative to advance diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility.” Democratic lawmakers have also faced pushback over some of their party’s support for biological boys participating in girls’ sports.
Despite Democrats’ push on social justice issues, only one in five Americans polled in November 2024 said they used terms like “safe space” or “white privilege,” according to a YouGov survey.
Featured Image Credit: Gage Skidmore
