Trump Cozies Up to Black Voters in Stephen A. Smith Interview
President Donald Trump doesn’t just want credit for his record with Black America. He wants to be considered better than former President Barack Obama, and he’s not shy about making that comparison. During a recent interview with commentator Stephen A. Smith, Trump went into campaign mode, rattling off a laundry list of accomplishments he says prove Black Americans have benefited more from his presidency than any other. But he also couldn’t resist taking another swipe at Obama, the man whose historic presidency continues to loom large in America’s political landscape.
“The Black community is the biggest beneficiary of what I’ve done,” Trump told Smith. “I did criminal justice reform. I saved the historically Black community colleges and universities. They were out of business.”
Trump’s list included his signature on the First Step Act, which introduced bipartisan criminal justice reforms in 2018, and his administration’s investments in HBCUs. The Education Department announced a $438 million one-time investment in 2025, followed by another $174 million in September 2026. But while that’s a significant infusion of funding, Trump’s suggestion that HBCUs were on the verge of going bankrupt without him ignores decades of federal support under presidents from both parties.
To Smith’s credit, he didn’t simply sit back and let Trump read his accomplishments into the record. He reminded the president that Obama and Joe Biden also delivered significant HBCU investments, including billions in federal support.
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Under Obama, federal support for HBCUs included billions in annual appropriations and investments, while former President Joe Biden reported more than $17 billion in federal support between fiscal years 2021 and 2024, including $2.7 billion through the American Rescue Plan, substantial debt relief and institutional grants.
Still speaking with Smith, Trump also touted the Trump Accounts initiative, no tax on overtime, the $1,776 Warrior Dividend for military personnel and his work with Alice Marie Johnson, whose sentence he commuted before eventually granting her a pardon… But his claim that 100% of Black newborns now have access to $1,000 investment accounts or that his SAVE America Act directly benefits Black America needs a lot more context.
Let’s start with those Trump Accounts, which we’ve previously explained. That $1,000 doesn’t automatically go to every Black baby born in America. Families must meet the eligibility requirements and follow the enrollment process. And when it comes to voting rights, there’s another part of Trump’s agenda worth examining. The Root has also explored civil rights experts’ concerns that the SAVE Act could disenfranchise Black voters, particularly those facing hurdles in proving their citizenship because of discrepancies in names or limited access to required documentation.
Smith also challenged Trump’s dismissal of federal job losses among Black women, pressing him on whether those workers had actually found better opportunities elsewhere.
Now, let’s talk Obama.
When Smith asked Trump how he would fare against the former president in a hypothetical election, Trump said he would win “easily,” before calling Obama “highly overrated.” Smith’s response was immediate: “Oh, my Lord. How is Barack Obama overrated?”
That exchange captured the larger tension surrounding Trump’s appeal to Black America. He wants recognition for policies that have delivered tangible benefits, but his attempts to claim exclusive credit often overlook the contributions of previous administrations.
The latest voting numbers offer another reality check. According to the AP Voter Poll, approximately nine in 10 Black voters supported Democratic House candidates in the 2026 midterms.
Still, Trump told Smith, “I don’t understand how any Black person votes for a Democrat.” The president has clearly made his pitch. Ultimately, a list of accomplishments is one thing. Building lasting trust with Black America is another.
