- Stephen A. Smith tells Howard Stern he wants to debate Donald Trump
“I’d eat him alive … I wouldn’t run for the presidency, but I’d debate Trump any day of the week. Any day of the week. Name the time and place, and I’d show up.”
In the 1999 interview, Stern’s questioning did not just stay on Melania’s attire and sex life; at one point, Trump even exclaimed, “She is actually naked. It’s a thing of beauty.” Such comments exemplify the type of discussions that Stern and Trump frequently engaged in, which often involved rating women’s appearances and discussing their sexual experiences in explicit detail.
As per The Independent, this incident is often compared to the infamous ‘grab them by the p****’ remarks that emerged during Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign, further cementing his notorious reputation. Despite the controversy, Trump has attempted to address these issues in the past. During his 2016 campaign, he sought to present a more respectful image, particularly in his interactions with women. Once when Stern asked him, “Have you ever felt her up in public?” Donald maintained his image and asserted, Yeah…I’m very well behaved, actually, and almost always I’m very down the middle.” Moreover, in one similar instance, he respectfully dodged the question and said, “Well, you know, in the old days I would not have minded answering that question, but today I’ll take a pass.”
Stern, for his part, has refused to release additional recordings from these interviews. He remarked, “I feel Donald Trump did the show in an effort to be entertaining and have fun with us, and I feel like it would be a betrayal to any of our guests if I sat there and played them now where people are attacking him.” Trump, meanwhile, has defended these interactions as playful banter, claiming, “I never anticipated running for office or being a politician, so I could have fun with Howard on the radio and everyone would love it. People do love it.”
