Stephen A. Smith Slams Trump Over Army-Navy Executive Order: ‘Who the Hell Does He Think He Is?’
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President donald trump signed the “Preserving America’s Game” executive order on Friday, which promises to keep the annual Army-Navy game as a stand-alone event during the college football season.
Trump signed the order during the Midshipmen’s visit to the White House on Friday to celebrate the victory of the Commander in Chief Trophy, which is awarded to the Army, Navy or Air Force if one of the teams wins 2-0 against the other opponents during the season.
Stephen A. Smith did not like the move.
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President Donald Trump displays an executive order he signed titled “Preserve America’s Game” to preserve the broadcast schedule of the Army-Navy football game during a ceremony presenting the Commander in Chief’s Trophy to the Navy Midshipmen football team in the East Room of the White House March 20, 2026 in Washington, DC (Heather Diehl/Getty Images)
“It’s things like this from the president of the United States that bother me. And he’s sticking his nose in places that I don’t think the president of the United States should stick his nose in,” Smith said during his Friday afternoon show on SiriusXM on Mad Dog Sports Radio, via Awful Anusing.
“Who the hell does this man think he is? Every time I try to be fair and impartial to this president, he does stupid things like this. It really bothers me. It really bothers me. Who the hell does he think he is?”
“If the Army-Navy game is on NBC, should News and News be excluded from having their own content on their networks? Because the president issued an executive order that he doesn’t want anything to compete with Army-Navy, that he wants the sports world to focus on Army-Navy. Well, what if they don’t want that? What if they don’t want to watch Army-Navy? Who the hell is he to tell the broadcast world, ‘No, not right now.’
“Who the hell does he think he is? It’s that kind of nonsense that’s got our country on edge right now. That’s the same thing. Because you’re overstepping your damn limits. Don’t you have enough things to focus on? Now you’re trying to tell us what damn football games we should watch?! Who the hell does he think he is?”
President Donald Trump before an Army-Navy game at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore on Dec. 13, 2025. (Alex Wroblewski/News via Getty Images)
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Under the current College Football Playoff schedule, the Army-Navy game falls between the conference championship weekend and the first weekend of the 12-team playoff. However, a possible expansion could lead to previous games. The Army-Navy game will air on News until 2038.
Navy defeated Army in a thrilling 17-16 game to win the Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy in December during a historic season in which the program finished 11-2 for the team’s first consecutive 10-win seasons in program history.
“The annual Army-Navy game is truly one of the most special occasions in all of sports, but in recent years, the expansion of the College Football Playoff has encroached on this sacred four-hour space traditionally reserved for Army-Navy,” the president said during his speech Friday.
“I’m signing an executive order to ensure that the second Saturday in December is preserved exclusively. No one will be playing football, not Ohio State against Notre Dame, not LSU against Alabama. No one will be playing football for four hours during that special time of year in December. It will be preserved forever for the Army-Navy game.”
Earlier this month, Trump held a roundtable to try to combat the effects of NIL on college sports.
Trump joked that the ramifications of signing the executive order could result in a lawsuit.
“Of course, they’ll probably sue us at some point. They’ll sue us, but we’ll win those lawsuits and we’ll win this one.”
President Donald Trump walks onto the field with Lt. Gen. Steven Gilland, superintendent of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, left, before the start of the 126th Army-Navy game at M&T Bank Stadium on Dec. 13, 2025, in Baltimore. (Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP Photo)
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Trump first signaled his intentions to sign the executive order in a Truth Social post in January, saying at the time, “This incredible Tradition is now at risk of being sidelined for more college playoff games and big TV money. NOT ANYMORE!”
Paulina Dedaj of News contributed to this report.
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