Shep Smith somberly weighs in on a debate 'the likes of which the United States has never seen'


Former Fox News anchor Shepard Smith ahead of his TV return is somberly offering his thoughts on this week's jaw-dropping presidential debate.
Smith, who abruptly left Fox last year but is set to debut his new CNBC evening news show on Wednesday, spoke to CNBC following Tuesday's chaotic debate and deemed it a "challenging" day for America.
"We're launching on a challenging and I think historic day, where the president has refused to say that he will accept the outcome of the election ... where he told a white supremacist group to stand by and get ready to stand up," Smith said. "And where the vice president ... called [Trump] a clown and a liar."
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Smith went on to assess that it was a debate "the likes of which the United States has never seen," adding that "there has never been an event of that nature in this nation." Pundits widely expressed shock over the chaos of the debate, which saw President Trump repeatedly interrupt former Vice President Joe Biden. Smith also appeared concerned over Trump in the debate telling the far-right extremist group the Proud Boys to "stand back and stand by" when asked to condemn white supremacists.
"We'll lean on the FBI to tell us about who these groups are, who have been told to stand by and get ready to stand up," Smith said. "And we'll try to take a look at where we are and where we're going on what I really believe is a historic day for the democracy."
Moderator Chris Wallace drew some criticism for his handling of the debate, and Smith on Wednesday concluded that his former Fox colleague wasn't prepared for the chaos — not that anyone else was.
"I know Chris Wallace for decades," Smith said. "He was prepared for a debate. He was not prepared for what came last night. None of us were." Brendan Morrow
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.
-
News organizations reject Pentagon restrictions
Speed Read The proposed policy is Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s latest move to limit press access at the Pentagon
-
Trump declares end to Gaza war, ‘dawn’ of new Mideast
Speed Read Hamas freed the final 20 living Israeli hostages and Israel released thousands of Palestinian detainees
-
Sanae Takaichi: Japan’s Iron Lady set to be the country’s first woman prime minister
In the Spotlight Takaichi is a member of Japan’s conservative, nationalist Liberal Democratic Party
-
News organizations reject Pentagon restrictions
Speed Read The proposed policy is Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s latest move to limit press access at the Pentagon
-
Trump declares end to Gaza war, ‘dawn’ of new Mideast
Speed Read Hamas freed the final 20 living Israeli hostages and Israel released thousands of Palestinian detainees
-
Trump DOJ indicts New York AG Letitia James
Speed Read New York Attorney General Letitia James was indicted as Trump’s Justice Department pursues charges against his political opponents
-
Judge blocks Trump’s Guard deployment in Chicago
Speed Read The president is temporarily blocked from federalizing the Illinois National Guard or deploying any Guard units in the state
-
Trump urges jail for Illinois, Chicago leaders
Speed Read The Texas National Guard begin operations in the Chicago area
-
Bondi stonewalls on Epstein, Comey in Senate face-off
Speed Read Attorney General Pam Bondi denied charges of using the Justice Department in service of Trump’s personal vendettas
-
Court allows Trump’s Texas troops to head to Chicago
Speed Read Trump is ‘using our service members as pawns in his illegal effort to militarize our nation’s cities,’ said Gov. J.B. Pritzker
-
Judge bars Trump’s National Guard moves in Oregon
Speed Read In an emergency hearing, a federal judge blocked President Donald Trump from sending National Guard troops into Portland