Stephen A. Smith calls out Mike Pence and Ron DeSantis - “I don’t like racist sh*t”

Sports media personality Stephen A. Smith calls a spade a spade.

This time, he had choice words for the behavior of former United States Vice President Mike Pence and Florida Governor Ron De Santis during Juneteenth. Smith said in a recent episode of his eponymous podcast:

“I don't like racist s**t. As a black man, I am fully aware of our nation's history. What pisses me off is that today is Juneteenth. Juneteenth, for those of you who doesn't know, commemorates when Americans last enslaved people learned of their freedom, like Black Independence Day.

“Then why in the hell am I reading some damn story? Governor Ron DeSantis of Florida and Mike Pence being still helping and committed on recognizing Confederate holidays.”

Two years ago, Current US President Joe Biden signed the legislation declaring Juneteenth a federal holiday.

It celebrates Union Major General Gordon Granger's announcement of slavery's end in Galveston, Texas, on June 19, 1865. The declaration was in line with President Abraham Lincoln's 1863 Emancipation Proclamation.

However, Pence and DeSantis vowed to revert Fort Liberty's name to Fort Bragg on the said holiday. The name change happened earlier this month as part of the move to remove names of Confederate generals from US military bases.

Appalled by Pence and DeSantis' decision, Stephen A. Smith revealed General Braxton Bragg's true nature, saying:

“DeSantis says, ‘It’s an iconic name. It’s an iconic base. And we’re not gonna let political correctness run amok in North Carolina.’ Well, who’s Fort Bragg? He owned a Louisiana sugar plantation and had 105 enslaved people.”

Coincidentally, General Bragg passed away on September 27, 1876, in Galveston, Texas, where General Granger had announced the end of slavery 11 years earlier.

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Stephen A. Smith making Mike Pence and Ron DeSantis accountable

Stephen A. Smith added:

“So, what’s it gonna be, Governor De Santis? What’s it gonna be, former Vice President Mike Pence? How do you think this makes black people feel? Do you care? Are you willing to say that you don't care? Tell me, as a politician? Why is it so important to you? You're gonna lose votes.

“With those waving Confederate flags in their homes, you're gonna lose votes with those who got confederate flag stickers on their trucks. You're not gonna lose any votes. You don't have to alienate people in our country.”

Aside from this incident, Stephen A. Smith also criticized Florida's governor for his policies against blacks and LGBTQ community members. Ron DeSantis was on the hot seat for criticizing the Tampa Bay Rays' anti-gun policy after the mass shooting in Uvalde, Texas as well.

Despite these controversies, DeSantis is one of the frontrunners for the Republican Party's 2024 US Presidential Elections nomination. He is considered the closest rival of former US President Donald Trump, also seeking the nomination.