Stephen A. Smith sounds off on Ron DeSantis, Mike Pence for disrespecting Juneteenth: “I don’t like racist sh*t”

ESPN analyst Stephen A. Smith had some choice words for Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and former US Vice President Mike Pence.

The issue commenced with DeSantis and Pence claiming that they would revert the name of Fort Liberty, a military town in North Carolina, back to Fort Bragg. It was previously named after Braxton Bragg, a Confederate general, and a slave owner. The town's name was changed to Fort Liberty earlier this month after widespread demands of disavowing Confederate leaders.

During the GOP Convention in North Carolina last week, DeSantis said:

“It’s an iconic name and iconic base, and we’re not gonna let political correctness run amok in North Carolina.”

Pence added:

“We will end the political correctness in the hallways of the Pentagon, and North Carolina will once again be home to Fort Bragg.”

Stephen A. Smith slams Ron DeSantis and Mike Pence

Stephen A. Smith took issue with DeSantis and Pence's promise to revert the town's name back to Fort Bragg, calling it a racist move. He said:

"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 don't know commemorates when America's last enslaved people learned of their freedom. It's like Black Independence Day, then why in the hell am I reading some damn story?

"Governor Ron DeSantis of Florida and Mike Pence still helping and committed on recognizing Confederate holidays. How was that possible?"

Smith slammed DeSantis and Pence for committing to honor a slave owner:

"Well, who's Fort Bragg [named after]? He owned a Louisiana sugar plantation and had 105 enslaved people. So what's it going to be, Governor DeSantis? What's it going to be former Vice President Mike Pence? Because 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?

He concluded by claiming that securing votes isn't a good enough reason to honor a Confederate general and slave owner:

"Why is 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."

Stephen A. Smith has been vocal about political issues in recent years and has even suggested that he would consider running for president in the future.