Kid Rock said on Fox & Friends that he had dinner at the White House with President Donald Trump, comedian Bill Maher, and ESPN host Stephen A. Smith — and claimed the group landed on one shared view. “We all agreed socialism and communism has no place to have a foothold in our government,” he told the show. He described the evening as “epic.”
Who Kid Rock says was at the table
According to Kid Rock’s account on Fox & Friends, the dinner included Trump, Maher, and Smith. He characterized the group as “two Democrats, two Republicans” sitting down to “break bread,” have laughs, and hold “tough conversations.”
What he says they discussed
Kid Rock described a wide-ranging conversation. He said topics included “everything from socialism and communism to the war in Iran,” as well as Maher’s concerns about getting interpreters from Afghanistan who assisted the U.S. to safety. He added that Stephen A. Smith was “very much engaged in talking about unemployment with Black women and the funding of HBCUs.”
HBCUs, DEI, and a disputed figure
Kid Rock said he and others at the dinner reminded Smith “that President Trump did fund $174 million to historically Black universities and colleges in 2016 [sic], which was great.” He also claimed Smith argued that “with Trump putting a dagger through the heart of DEI, it seems like it’s scared off a lot of corporate money coming to HBCUs.” Kid Rock then said, “I’ll go out on a limb and say I’m speaking for President Trump and the administration” to encourage corporations to keep donating to HBCUs, describing education as vital “to strengthen Black families.”
Campaign talk Kid Rock raised
Fox News reported that before recounting the dinner, Kid Rock discussed the Michigan Senate race and Democratic candidate Abdul El-Sayed. Kid Rock said of El-Sayed, “This guy is screaming socialism.”
Fox News’ segment did not include independent confirmation from Maher or Smith of Kid Rock’s account.
