Stephen A. Smith criticizes Democrats for Trump trials: ‘Afraid they can’t defeat him.

Sports media personality Stephen A. Smith criticized Democrats for their push to prosecute Donald Trump, saying they are reiterating the former president’s claim that the trials are a political stunt.

Smith’s comment comes as Trump’s hush money trial began jury selection this week amid his 2024 presidential campaign. Trump is facing 88 felony charges across four indictments. Smith argued that Democrats ought to focus on beating him on the campaign trail instead of in the courtroom.

“To my liberal friends out there, all you’re doing is showing that you’re scared you can’t beat him on the issues and the merits,” Smith said. “That’s why he keeps saying it’s a political campaign against me. That’s why he keeps saying they can’t beat me at the election, at the polls — this is the only way they can do it.”

Smith added that many voters see the extent to which “the other side” is willing to go to keep Trump out of the White House, and that “we’ll never have peace in this country” because of it.

“And they’re going to say, ‘Hey, you trumped us up against him again,’ and we’ll have no peace when all you gotta do is figure out a way to beat him on the issues,” Smith said. “But you haven’t been able to do it.”

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Last year, Smith said the United States needs “a new president” instead of reelecting Joe Biden, citing the president’s age. He also indicated that Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) could step in for Biden as the Democratic presidential nominee, stressing that while he was not supporting such a move, swapping Biden for Newsom “makes sense if you are a flaming liberal.”

Newsom has insisted that he has no plans to run for president in the 2024 election. Trump, meanwhile, has stated that a hypothetical matchup between him and Newsom would be “easy” for the former president to win, as “California is a disaster.”