Stephen A. Smith Criticizes Trump’s Rhetoric After White House Shooting: ‘Practice What You Preach’

Media personality Stephen A. Smith sharply criticized Donald Trump for his calls to tone down violent rhetoric after the shooting outside the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, demanding the president answer: ‘When are you going to practice what you preach?’

Smith made the remarks during a Tuesday appearance on ‘Cuomo’ with host Chris Cuomo. When asked if he was surprised by the lack of meaningful change in political discourse, Smith responded that he was not, accusing both Democrats and Republicans of engaging in empty gestures to denounce violent language without genuine intent.

‘I hear people older than me telling me this is worse than it was pre-Civil Rights,’ Smith said. ‘This is worse than it was when John F. Kennedy got assassinated in 1963. This is worse than the climate and the environment of the ’60s in terms of the rhetoric that’s going back and forth, the divisiveness, the manner in which people are willing to talk about one another — not just on television, but to their face. Just hostility that exists on both sides.’

Smith continued, questioning Trump’s credibility on the issue. ‘When I saw [Trump] talking about toning down the violent rhetoric that can encourage and incite violence, the president needed to practice what you preach, right? Because you certainly aren’t — you know how to exacerbate situations.’

He added, ‘As the president of the United States, you instigate. I’m not blaming him for somebody trying to perpetrate an act of violence against somebody. To me, they would do it, got their own issues, and they need to be held accountable. But nevertheless, when we talk about calming the waters and dialing down the rhetoric, both sides give us that same song and dance. Neither side means it.’

Smith did praise one politician, however: House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, who urged Republicans to ‘Clean up your own house before you have anything to say to us about the language that we use.’

‘I’m not saying it is to be applauded, but what I’m saying is that he was very honest in his assessment of where he stood on the issue, as opposed to a lot of people that were just singing the same old song and dance about dialing back the rhetoric,’ Smith said.

Meanwhile, Cole Tomas Allen, a 31-year-old teacher from Torrance, California, was arrested following the shooting on Saturday night and charged in federal court in Washington on Monday morning. Allen faces three criminal charges, including an attempt to assassinate President Trump, which carries a potential life sentence. He did not enter a plea for the attempted assassination or related firearm charges.