Stephen A. Smith defends Donald Trump

ESPN “First Take” co-host Stephen A. Smith often says things to drive ratings and generate a reaction more than anything, and Monday was no different.

With all the criticism of president-elect Donald Trump, Smith went against the grain (surprise surprise), and actually came out in support of him on Monday’s edition of “First Take.”

Smith said we need to give Trump a chance and judge him by his performance in office, rather than jumping to conclusions and grading him by what he’s said in the past.

“Perhaps it is time for all of us to see the big picture, to essentially pay more attention to the issues permeating our society, what it will take to resolve them, and connecting ourselves to who we can ultimately hold accountable rather than focusing on disdain for that very individual in a position to make a difference. Knowing that is not going to get us anywhere.”

You can watch the video here:

Who knows if Smith actually feels this way or not, everything he says should be taken with a grain of salt. “First Take” is built on going against the grain and making these opinions go viral on the Web, so it’s hard to know where Smith really stands on the issue. But this is the message he’s projecting.