Stephen A. Smith Says Donald Trump Is Not Racist, Explains That He 'Genuinely Liked' Him Before He Ran For President

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While ESPN has gone from a sports powerhouse to a left-leaning culture company due to the mere existence of Donald Trump, Stephen A. Smith has gone against the messaging of his employer about the former President of the United States. Smith, who knows Trump personally, doesn't believe he's racist.

Smith spoke at the Semafor Media Summit on Monday and during the Q&A segment of his appearance, the topic of Trump came up.

He explained that prior to the 2016 election, he "thoroughly enjoyed talking" to Trump as the two had a common interest in the world of sports.

“He used to throw a lot of events at — you know — at his casinos and stuff like that, and I genuinely liked him,” Smith told the audience.

Stephen A. Smith Doesn't Believe Trump Is Racist

While he did admit that he believes the man he knew changed when he ran for President, he pushed back at the left's claim that Trump was racist.

“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,” Smith explained.

"He's not against black people, he's against all things not named Trump."

This wasn't Smith endorsing Trump, however, he made that very clear.

While he explained that he isn't "beyond" voting for a Republican, he could not vote for Trump.

It's no secret that plenty of folks - even lifelong Democrat voters - share that same outlook as Smith these days.

As for ESPN's potential response to Smith electing not to publicly bash the former President, it's unlikely the company will scold its biggest personality, but you better believe plenty of people who collect a paycheck from the network will be discussing Smith's comments.

Follow Mark Harris on Twitter @ItIsMarkHarris

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Mark covers all sports at OutKick while keeping a close eye on the world of professional golf. He graduated from the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga before earning his master's degree in journalism from the University of Tennessee. He somehow survived living in Knoxville despite ‘Rocky Top’ being his least favorite song ever written. Before joining OutKick, he wrote for various outlets including SB Nation, The Spun, and BroBible. Mark was also a writer for the Chicago Cubs Double-A affiliate in 2016 when the team won the World Series. He's still waiting for his championship ring to arrive. Follow him on Twitter @itismarkharris.