Trump tells Stephen A. Smith he'd 'easily' beat Obama, fueling third-term talk

President Donald Trump said he could easily beat former President Barack Obama in a hypothetical matchup. He also called Obama highly overrated. He spoke Thursday on Stephen A. Smith's podcast, Straight Shooter. ¹²

Trump pointed to vote totals. Smith asked if he was saying he would beat Obama. Trump answered with the words in the quote below. ¹

On tapeStephen A. Smith · Nov 13

▶0:59

Yeah, I think I'd beat him easily, yeah. I think he's highly overrated.

Trump also said he had "the all-time record" in both Texas and Florida. ¹ Newsweek's review of state data found Trump drew the most votes of any presidential nominee in both states over the past several decades. ¹

What the numbers show

In 2024, Trump won 77,304,290 votes to Vice President Kamala Harris's 75,019,761. In 2012, Obama beat Republican Mitt Romney with 62,611,250 votes to 59,134,475. ¹

From Channel GOPObama on Trump's $750 tax bill and Chinese accountBarack Obama · 383 plays · captioned, with the source named

That matters because raw totals are not a head-to-head contest. They say little about how voters would choose between two people today.

Trump also said Obama was not a good president and called him a divider. Asked how he would describe himself, he said he is someone who brings people together. ¹

The third-term question

Smith's question was a hypothetical, and Fox News described it as a third-term matchup. ² Robert Collins, a public policy professor at Dillard University, told Newsweek the remark was Trump "throwing red meat to his base." ¹

No serious constitutional scholar believes there is any legal way for President Trump to run for a third term.

Collins also said Trump's past comments about a third term are meant to keep his base happy. ¹ Newsweek reached out to Obama's office for comment and had no reply when it published. Fox News Digital also asked Obama's office and the White House and had no response yet. ¹²

How the two men are polling

A YouGov/Economist poll taken Nov. 9 to 11 found Trump's approval at 32 percent and disapproval at 63 percent. It surveyed 1,685 U.S. citizens and has a 3-point margin of error. ¹

A CNN-SSRS poll taken May 7 to 31 found Obama viewed favorably by 57 percent and unfavorably by 32 percent. Trump was at 34 percent favorable and 55 percent unfavorable. That poll surveyed 2,480 people, with a 2.7-point margin of error. ¹

Pew Research Center asked in January which recent president did the best job. Thirty-six percent said Obama and 19 percent said Trump. ¹

The interview came after sweeping Republican midterm losses, which flipped House and Senate majorities to Democrats. Trump partly conceded the Iran war may have played a role, but said he would do it again. ¹ The interview also covered gasoline prices, immigration and his legacy. ¹

What happens next is unclear. Neither Obama's office nor the White House had responded to requests for comment at publication. ¹²

The Record

1. Nov 6, 2012Obama defeated Mitt Romney, 62,611,250 votes to 59,134,475 ¹
2. Nov 5, 2024Trump won the popular vote with 77,304,290 votes to Kamala Harris's 75,019,761 ¹
3. Nov 12, 2026Trump tells Stephen A. Smith he would 'easily' beat Obama in a hypothetical race ¹²

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<h2>Trump tells Stephen A. Smith he&#39;d &#39;easily&#39; beat Obama, fueling third-term talk</h2> <p><em>By The GOP Files Investigations Desk. This article first appeared on <a href="https://thegopfiles.com/story/trump-tells-stephen-a-smith-he-d-easily-beat-obama-fueling-third-term-talk">The GOP Files</a> on Friday, November 13, 2026.</em></p> <p>President Donald Trump said he could easily beat former President Barack Obama in a hypothetical matchup. He also called Obama highly overrated. He spoke Thursday on Stephen A. Smith&#39;s podcast, Straight Shooter.</p> <p>Trump pointed to vote totals. Smith asked if he was saying he would beat Obama. Trump answered with the words in the quote below.</p> <blockquote><p>Yeah, I think I&#39;d beat him easily, yeah. I think he&#39;s highly overrated.</p><p>&mdash; Donald Trump, President, Republican</p></blockquote> <p>Trump also said he had &quot;the all-time record&quot; in both Texas and Florida. Newsweek&#39;s review of state data found Trump drew the most votes of any presidential nominee in both states over the past several decades.</p> <h2>What the numbers show</h2> <p>In 2024, Trump won 77,304,290 votes to Vice President Kamala Harris&#39;s 75,019,761. In 2012, Obama beat Republican Mitt Romney with 62,611,250 votes to 59,134,475.</p> <p>That matters because raw totals are not a head-to-head contest. They say little about how voters would choose between two people today.</p> <p>Trump also said Obama was not a good president and called him a divider. Asked how he would describe himself, he said he is someone who brings people together.</p> <h2>The third-term question</h2> <p>Smith&#39;s question was a hypothetical, and Fox News described it as a third-term matchup. Robert Collins, a public policy professor at Dillard University, told Newsweek the remark was Trump &quot;throwing red meat to his base.&quot;</p> <blockquote><p>No serious constitutional scholar believes there is any legal way for President Trump to run for a third term.</p><p>&mdash; Robert Collins, Professor of public policy, Dillard University</p></blockquote> <p>Collins also said Trump&#39;s past comments about a third term are meant to keep his base happy. Newsweek reached out to Obama&#39;s office for comment and had no reply when it published. Fox News Digital also asked Obama&#39;s office and the White House and had no response yet.</p> <h2>How the two men are polling</h2> <p>A YouGov/Economist poll taken Nov. 9 to 11 found Trump&#39;s approval at 32 percent and disapproval at 63 percent. It surveyed 1,685 U.S. citizens and has a 3-point margin of error.</p> <p>A CNN-SSRS poll taken May 7 to 31 found Obama viewed favorably by 57 percent and unfavorably by 32 percent. Trump was at 34 percent favorable and 55 percent unfavorable. That poll surveyed 2,480 people, with a 2.7-point margin of error.</p> <p>Pew Research Center asked in January which recent president did the best job. Thirty-six percent said Obama and 19 percent said Trump.</p> <p>The interview came after sweeping Republican midterm losses, which flipped House and Senate majorities to Democrats. Trump partly conceded the Iran war may have played a role, but said he would do it again. The interview also covered gasoline prices, immigration and his legacy.</p> <p>What happens next is unclear. Neither Obama&#39;s office nor the White House had responded to requests for comment at publication.</p> <p><em>Read the original, with every source linked, at <a href="https://thegopfiles.com/story/trump-tells-stephen-a-smith-he-d-easily-beat-obama-fueling-third-term-talk">thegopfiles.com</a>. Republished under The GOP Files' <a href="https://thegopfiles.com/republish">free republishing terms</a>.</em></p> <img src="https://thegopfiles.com/api/rp/trump-tells-stephen-a-smith-he-d-easily-beat-obama-fueling-third-term-talk.gif" alt="" width="1" height="1" style="border:0;width:1px;height:1px">

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Sources

1. Newsweek, “Trump Says He'd Beat Obama 'Easily' in Potential Presidential Race” (2026-11-13). newsweek.com/trump-says-hed-beat-obama-easily-in-potential-p
2. Fox News, “Trump says he'd easily beat Obama in a hypothetical third-term race” (2026-11-12). foxnews.com/media/donald-trump-calls-barack-obama-highly-ove

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