Bill O’Reilly and Stephen A. Smith Clash on Trump, Whether America Is ‘Post-Racial’: ‘Ask Any Black Person!’

ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith joined Bill O’Reilly to debate Donald Trump and race after the sports commentator said he felt “sorry” for O’Reilly and his recent take on race and politics.

During a recent interview with NewsNation’s Chris Cuomo, Smith argued that O’Reilly’s previous statement on the network that “skin color doesn’t have anything to do with politics” is “detached from reality.” Smith joined O’Reilly’s No Spin News and cleared the air with the former Fox News host.

O’Reilly argued his statement was taken out of context and that, in many senses, we are a “post-racial” country.

“We are post-racial in evaluating people on the basis of their skin color or disparaging people as Trump did to Kamala Harris — we are beyond that here, and if we’re not, then people like me and you should disparage the skin color of people. That’s the point I made,” he said.

“You were alluding to this reality that that’s virtually non-existent, that that’s not something that’s really going on in everyday America today. I would say to you, it might be more the exception than the rule in today’s generation compared to what it was decades ago, but it still exists. Ask any Black person, and they’ll tell you that,” Smith shot back.

O’Reilly said his words were “centered” on Trump’s attacks on Vice President Kamala Harris. O’Reilly previously accused Trump of alienating millions of Black voters by focusing on Harris being biracial in his attacks.

“I understand the reality that African Americans and other minorities are treated differently in some places than Caucasians. Everybody gets that, but when politicians at the highest level, Steve, and this is very important for a guy like you who has access to a lot of minority viewers and listeners. When these people devolve into criticism because of skin color, that should not be acceptable,” O’Reilly said.

He and Smith also clashed on how big of a factor reproductive rights will be in the election as O’Reilly argued Harris has shot up in support among Black voters and many of them are voting based on skin color.

“You know better than me, Bill, I would challenge you on that. How come it can’t be the galvanization of a bunch of women out there because obviously reproductive rights is going to be a huge element in this election,” Smith said.

“Reproductive rights, ooo-eee. It’s an issue —” O’Reilly said as a shocked Smith jumped in.

“Really?! With all these women out here?” Smith said.

“It’s not the dominant issue,” O’Reilly responded. “What the dominant issue is is elevating people in the working and middle class so they have some security which Trump did in his four years.”

Watch above via No Spin News.

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