Trump Boasts He'd 'Easily' Beat Barack Obama in Election Showdown — as He Blasts Ex-Prez as 'Highly Overrated'
Donald Trump made the bold prediction in an interview with Stephen A. Smith.
Nov. 13 2026, Published 4:00 p.m. ET
Donald Trump boldly predicted if he ever went head-to-head against Barack Obama in a presidential election, he would "easily" win, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
The 80-year-old president made the boastful assertion to pal and sports commentator Stephen A. Smith, accusing his predecessor from his first White House term of being a "divider" who drove a wedge between Americans.
Stephen A. Smith Asks Trump Tough Questions
Trump sat down for a wide-ranging interview with ESPN's Smith.
In the aftermath of the devastating GOP losses in the midterm elections, Smith, 59, sat down with Trump in the White House's Roosevelt Room for a wide-ranging interview that dropped Thursday, November 12, after the two men shared dinner at the executive residence the month before.
"Let's say hypothetically, because I don't want to hear about circumventing the 22nd Amendment of the Constitution and running for a third term. No, let's just speak in hypotheticals," the ESPN host began his pointed question while referring to the two-term limit on U.S. presidents.
"If you could run for president again, so could Barack Obama. What would Donald Trump do if he had to square off against Barack Obama for the presidency of the United States? What if that were to happen right now?" Smith wanted to know.
Trump Calls Barack Obama 'Highly Overrated'
Trump predicted he would 'easily' beat Obama if they went up against each other in a presidential election.
Trump boasted that he bested Obama's overall general election numbers in both of his presidential victories while noting that he holds the "all-time record" for votes in such key states as Florida and Texas.
"Are you saying you would beat Obama?" asked an incredulous Smith, as the tycoon held firm, calmly responding, "Yeah, I think I'd beat him easily. I think he's highly overrated."
"Oh, my lord. How is Barack Obama overrated?" the First Take host demanded to know.
"I just think that's just my opinion. I think he's overrated. I didn't think he was a good president. I thought he was a divider," Trump replied.
Trump Claims He 'Brings People Together"
Trump called Obama a 'divider' while claiming he 'brings people together.'
"A divider? And what would you classify yourself as being?" a somewhat incredulous Smith pressed Trump, who responded, "Uh, as a person that brings people together."
"And you bring people together how?" Smith pressed the president, who said he was uniting people "Through success. Because our country is so successful."
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'There Has Never Been A Divider Close to as Bad as Trump'
Critics on social media had strong reactions to Trump's comments about Obama.
Trump critics hammered the president's claims when the exchange was posted on X.
'"Brings people together' shows the man is out of touch with reality. There has never been a divider close to as bad as Trump," one user sneered.
A second person observed, "After what we saw on November 3, anybody knows that Obama would slaughter Trump like a pig. It would be ugly for Trump. I mean, (Joe) Biden boot-stomped Trump in 2020, and Biden got the most votes ever for a President. Trump is delusional."
"He did bring America together, just not in the way he thinks. That man literally made TEXAS turn blue," a third user snarked, pointing to the stunning Democratic sweep in the longtime Republican stronghold, where voters flipped the governor's mansion, lieutenant governor's office, and attorney general's post blue and elected the state's first Democratic U.S. senator since 1988.
But a fourth person countered, "He’s definitely not wrong about Obama...but he himself does not bring people together."
