Print
Close
Stephen A Smith says he understands putting Americans first, says illegal immigration hurts Black Americans
By Alexander Hall
Published February 27, 2026
Commentator Stephen A. Smith praised a key part of President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address on Thursday’s episode of the "Rubin Report," saying it shows a glaring flaw in Democratic politics.
One of the highlights of Trump’s address was when he called on lawmakers to stand up if they agree that the first duty of the American government is to protect the interests of American citizens, not illegal immigrants. The Democratic side of the aisle overwhelmingly refused to stand.
"I absolutely would have stood up," Smith said. Smith has flirted with the prospect of running as a Democrat for the presidency. "You have to anticipate. He's playing them like a fiddle. He knows they're not going to stand up. He knows how bad it's going to make them look. I would have called this bluff, and I would have stood up, and I would have said, ‘You're damn right.’"
STEPHEN A. SMITH RIPS DEM THEATRICS AT TRUMP ADDRESS FOR PLAYING RIGHT INTO PRESIDENT'S HANDS
Stephen A. Smith has flirted with running for office, warning the Democrats repeatedly that are off-course on key issues. (Paul Morigi/Getty Images for SiriusXM)
The bottom line, Smith said, is that by Trump using the term American citizens, he was addressing legal American citizens of all races.
"So when he said ‘American citizens’ and ‘American citizens first,’ first of all, that's the right thing because it should be American citizens first, number one," Smith said. "And number two, you know, for people on the left, some of them, not most, not all, but some of them coming out and saying that what he said was ‘racist,’ well, how? How exactly? Because you're looking out for America?"
Smith went on to argue that in some ways, Black Americans are the ones most harmed by mass illegal immigration.
"When people are coming into this country undocumented, and they're crossing our borders illegally, it costs us money," he said. "You're using the emergency room as your own medical healthcare plan. You know, jobs and stuff like that, and how it could potentially have a detrimental effect."
President Donald Trump's State of the Union address saw a lot of Republicans cheering and Democrats sitting. (Alex Brandon/AP Photo)
He then added, "And you know where I'm from, I believe when White folks catch a cold, Black folks catch pneumonia. It's always worse for us. So, anything that works to the detriment of our country is going to work doubly worse for the Black community."
CLICK HERE FOR MORE COVERAGE OF MEDIA AND CULTURE
President Donald Trump delivers his State of the Union address in the House Chamber of the U.S. Capitol on Tuesday, February 24, 2026. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
https://www.foxnews.com/media/stephen-smith-says-he-understands-putting-americans-first-says-illegal-immigration-hurts-black-americans