President Trump recently embarked on one of his infamous side missions, really, his most prescient hobby: Calling into live news shows. This time, he phoned into a town hall hosted by Bill O’Reilly, Chris Cuomo, and Stephen A. Smith. The conversation eventually veered toward his ongoing battle with Harvard University. But Trump, ever distracted, seemingly heard Harlem instead — and immediately started gloating about his “very high Black votes.”
Trump’s onslaught on the education sector has been relentless. Reuters reports that since beginning his final term, Trump has labeled learning institutions as radical left, Marxist, and anti-American — among other accusations he likely couldn’t back up with actual evidence. His administration has aggressively targeted select schools. Most recently, he threatened to strip Harvard of its tax-exempt status — likely because it remains one of the few institutions still unbowed by his overreach.
Seasoned ESPN host Stephen A. Smith seized the moment to question Trump about his handling of Harvard. Smith correctly framed the President’s actions as an attack on academic freedom, not a defense of fairness. Serious stuff. But Trump, never one to miss an opportunity to say the absolute worst thing possible, bumbled through the exchange in a way that — at best — suggests mild racism. At worst? It raises real questions about his cognitive health.
When Smith said “Harvard,” Trump heard “Harlem.” He then launched into a riff about imaginary riots in Harlem. But ever the prideful snake oil salesman, once Trump caught his gaffe, he pivoted. Now, Harlem was apparently rioting about Harvard. Not content with that twist, he doubled down — bragging about his “very high Black vote” and claiming that Black and Hispanic communities actually support his crackdown on Harvard.
The Daily Show, clearly finding its stride again, turned the latest Trump meltdown into comedy gold. Michael Kosta didn’t hold back. He noted the absurdity of O’Reilly and Cuomo co-hosting anything, given their respective workplace scandals. But Kosta saved his best material for Trump. He could barely keep a straight face as he quipped, “Trump heard a Black man say Harvard and thought he must have meant Harlem.”
Trump hearing a Black man say "Harvard" and thinking he must've meant "Harlem" is a perfect mix of racism and dementia pic.twitter.com/mcV3pmLVeE
— The Daily Show (@TheDailyShow) May 2, 2025
Kosta’s top zinger? “Trump probably hears a Black person mention Social Security and assumes they’re talking about Soul Plane.”
Trump eventually circled back to Stephen A. Smith with a classic Trumpism: Insult disguised as flattery. He told Smith he could run for president because he has “entertaining skills.” Smith — a man who likely values good TV over respectability — chuckled at the backhanded compliment.
Donald Trump just said he wants Stephen A Smith to run for president pic.twitter.com/J2QiRQlcYg
— Ahmed/The Ears/IG: BigBizTheGod 🇸🇴 (@big_business_) May 1, 2025
Trump’s views on minorities have been dissected ad nauseam — and nothing good ever turns up. So this wasn’t shocking. But it was disappointing. Ja’han Jones, writing for MSNBC, noted how infuriating it was to watch Smith fail to challenge Trump’s lies in real time, which matters because at this very moment, Trump is already firing away on plans to teach students in Oklahoma that the 2020 election was stolen.
The entire episode was less Nixon–Frost and more Infowars meets Inside the NBA. Comparing that town hall to serious journalism is like comparing a WWE script to Shakespeare’s King Lear.
Published: May 2, 2025 10:58 am