Stephen A. Smith, an ESPN commentator and Democrat, blasted congressional Democrats over plans to boycott, and potentially disrupt, President Trump’s State of the Union address next week. Smith argued that the party continues to project immaturity, and unlike the rest of Americans, must make a spectacle out of every disagreement they face at work.
🚨NEW: Stephen A. Smith *UNLOADS* on Democrats planning to boycott Trump's State of the Union address🚨
— Jason Cohen 🇺🇸 (@JasonJournoDC) February 19, 2026
"This is the kind of stuff that ticks me off!"@DailyCaller pic.twitter.com/VwnoIv5x6O
"The president of the United States is going to give his State of the Union address, and the Democrats got other plans," Smith said. "So some are talking about walking out in the middle of this speech. Others are talking about boycotting it altogether and essentially finding something else to do."
"I'm here to tell you that neither is acceptable. Neither should be acceptable. At some point in time, ladies and gentlemen, there's got to be an adult in the room."
This comes after it became glaringly apparent at the Munich Security Conference that several prominent Democrats, many of them viewed as potential 2028 presidential contenders, struggled to answer even basic foreign policy questions. Critics noted that, regardless of where one stands on Republican foreign policy positions, GOP leaders tended to speak with clarity, confidence, and a defined strategy. The contrast, they argued, was striking. And according to Smith, that same lack of authority isn’t only limited to the international stage; it’s showing up at home as well.
"If you're going to act as juvenile, as petulant, as petty as you accused the president of the United States to be, how are you ever going to hold a high moral ground, at least high enough to judge him accordingly?" Smith asked. "If people on the right can turn and look at you and say, you're no better, you act no better, where's it going to get you? See, these are the kinds of things that end up getting people like myself and others in the news, because we're talking about getting things done. I've said repeatedly, and I'll state it again, and I'll make news by saying it again. I have no desire to be an elected official."
Smith accused Democrats of lacking both common sense and basic decency, arguing that their behavior disrespects the very office they were elected to serve. He said that even if he personally disagrees with or dislikes the individual holding office, he still respects the institution itself and what it represents. Democrats, he contended, would rather stage a spectacle and diminish the dignity of their positions simply to score points against President Trump.
I've never entertained politics in my life. I'm certainly not an aficionado on the issues. Got a long way to go to learn all the things that go on. But you know what I have? I have common sense. I have decency. I have respect for the office even when, or if I didn't respect the individual, because I would understand that as a representative, whether it be that as a representative or a Senate, a Senator in the United States of America, guess what? I have a constituency to answer to.
"And I have people who need me, who I represent, and whether I like it or not, this individual is in office until 2028, and I got to find a way to do business with him in order to get something done," he went on. "You see, when you go to the American people, and you ask the American people, you, stand up, step up, and handle your business. Stop b**ching and screaming all the time."
Smith argued that for everyday Americans, problems at work don’t mean you get to walk off the job, or throw a tantrum, you still show up, pay the bills, and do what needs to be done. That same attitude, he said, too often doesn’t apply to elected officials, who instead behave like children and turn every disagreement into a public spectacle.
When you got problems at the job, when you got bills to pay, when you got a family to take care of, find a way to work around it and handle your business. How come that can't apply to elected officials? Why do they get to get away with that? Why do they get to circumvent those rules and regulations? Why do they get to circumvent the need and the insistence of mere decorum? This is the kind of stuff that ticks me off.