Stephen A. Smith Rejects White House Press Secretary Job

Stephen A. Smith interviewed President Donald Trump at the White House on Thursday, November 12, and said he would not take the vacant press-secretary job. Asked by reporters after the interview whether he would accept the position, Smith replied, “No way in hell.”

The interview was conducted for Smith’s YouTube program, Straight Shooter With Stephen A. The White House press pool reported that the conversation lasted about 40 minutes. Smith said they discussed the midterms, the Iran war and former Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, among other topics.

The full interview’s release status was not established in reports published around Smith’s visit. Smith said it would air Thursday evening, while another account said a release date had not been confirmed. The reported timing does not establish whether the program was ultimately published.

The press-secretary position was vacant after Katie Zacharia left the role following five days in it, according to reports. Karoline Leavitt had previously departed the administration in August. Trump also said a recent announcement that he had offered the job to Dana White was a joke. White is the chief executive of UFC and declined the position,...