‘We End Up Feeling Like Damn Fools’ [WATCH]

ESPN personality Stephen A. Smith expressed regret over supporting former Vice President Kamala Harris’s presidential campaign, during a discussion on Bill Maher’s live show Friday night.

Speaking to Maher and California Representative Ro Khanna, Smith questioned the legitimacy of Harris’s nomination and compared her campaign to that of former President Barack Obama.

“I voted for her, a lot of people voted for her, but in the end, we end up feeling like damn fools because we supported it, we fell for the okie doke, as they say,” Smith said, referencing Harris’s rise to become the Democratic nominee.

“If they’d had a primary, the likelihood is that she would not have been the Democratic nominee. And you can’t say that about [President Donald] Trump.”

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Smith’s remarks came in response to Khanna, who argued that Harris’s campaign did not resonate with the public in the same way Obama’s did.

Khanna noted that while celebrities wanted to appear alongside Obama during his campaign, Harris relied on celebrities to establish her connection with voters.

Smith pushed back on Khanna’s comparison, pointing out the significant difference between Obama’s grassroots appeal and Harris’s rise to the Democratic nomination.

“Let’s be honest here: first of all, one could argue that Obama resonated more because the people chose him to be the Democratic nominee for the presidency of the United States of America as opposed to somebody backdooring their way into the position. Let’s just be honest about it,” Smith said, drawing applause from the audience.

Smith further criticized the Democratic Party’s decision not to hold a primary election in 2024, stating that Harris’s nomination was not reflective of voters’ choice.

During the conversation, Smith contrasted Harris’s campaign with former President Donald Trump’s support among voters.

Despite Trump’s controversial tenure and legal challenges, Smith noted that many Americans still viewed Trump as “closer to normal than what we’re seeing on the left.”

“Here’s the deal: The man was impeached twice, he was convicted on 34 felony counts. The American people still said, ‘He’s closer to normal than what we’re seeing on the left,’” Smith said.

Stephen A Smith stuns the Bill Maher crowd into silence as he articulates how Democrats have no one left fighting for the American people:
SAS: “The man was impeached twice, he was convicted on 34 felony counts. The American people still said ‘He’s closer to normal than what… pic.twitter.com/BTHt6ZKIqa

— Eric Abbenante (@EricAbbenante) January 25, 2025

Smith also took issue with Khanna’s claim that former President Joe Biden was mentally fit for a second term.

Referring to a February 2024 comment Khanna made on CNN, where he stated that Biden was “completely mentally sharp,” Smith said, “I know that you supported Biden, obviously you spoke about his mental acuity and all of that other stuff. But we all saw what we saw.”

Smith pointed to Biden’s underwhelming performance during a summer debate against Trump, which left many Democrats questioning his ability to continue his campaign.

While a subsequent press conference kept Biden in the race temporarily, he dropped out 10 days later and endorsed Harris.

Smith was particularly critical of how Harris became the Democratic nominee, noting her poor performance in the 2020 primaries.

“Kamala Harris, who didn’t resonate during the primaries in 2020 — couldn’t even get to Iowa — suddenly is the Democratic nominee. And then you all go, and then you roll up at the [Democratic National] Convention in Chicago, and everybody’s like, ‘She’s a rockstar!’” Smith said.

“How’d that happen? How’d that happen? I don’t know how that happened,” he added, underscoring his frustration with the process that led to Harris’s nomination.

Stephen A Smith feels like a damn fool for voting for Kamala Harris and declares she would have not been the Democrat nominee for president if a primary was held:
SAS: “So Kamala Harris – who didn’t resonate during the primaries in 2020, couldn’t even get to Iowa – suddenly is… pic.twitter.com/cQzLrMIILU

— Eric Abbenante (@EricAbbenante) January 25, 2025

Smith’s comments highlighted ongoing concerns among voters about the Democratic Party’s leadership and decision-making process leading into the 2024 election cycle.

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