Dave Smith (comedian)

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Dave Smith
Dave Smith by Gage Skidmore.jpg
Smith at 2022 Revolution hosted by Young Americans for Liberty
Born
David Smith

(1983-04-20) April 20, 1983 (age 42)
New York City, U.S.
Occupation(s) Political commentator, comedian, podcaster
Political party Libertarian [1] [2]
Other political
affiliations		 Mises Caucus
SpouseLauren Smith
Children2
Website comicdavesmith.com

David Smith (born April 20, 1983) is an American comedian, podcaster, and political commentator who hosts the libertarian podcast Part of the Problem. [3] [4] [5]

Contents

Smith is a close friend of Joe Rogan and a regular guest on The Joe Rogan Experience . He has frequently appeared on Fox News' Kennedy , [6] [7] The Greg Gutfeld Show, [8] [9] [10] and CNN's S.E. Cupp: Unfiltered , and has also appeared on the Lex Fridman podcast, among others. [11] Smith is a member of the Mises Caucus of the Libertarian Party. [12]

Early life

According to Smith, he was raised in Brooklyn, New York City, by his single mother. [13] [14] Smith is Jewish from both of his parents sides, his maternal grandmother was a Holocaust survivor. [15] [16] His grandfather was a refugee from Germany, as he describes him as "a Jew who was basically born in the worst place at the wrong time". [17] His grandfather enlisted in the US Army and fought in World War II. His stepfather fought in Vietnam.

Career

He hosts the Part of the Problem podcast and cohosts the comedy podcast Legion of Skanks . [3] [8] [18] [19] According to PorcFest, Part of the Problem is one of the top two libertarian podcasts in the world. [20] On Part of the Problem, Smith has interviewed political figures such as Vivek Ramaswamy [21] and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. [22] Smith has also made repeated appearances on The Joe Rogan Experience and Timcast and is considered to be a close friend of Rogan's. [23] [24] [3]

He was the MC for FreedomFest, a libertarian festival, in 2021, [25] and a featured speaker there in 2022. [26] According to the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), Smith was running the Libertarian Party's social media in 2022, [26] but he has denied this saying that he only "helped with the Twitter". [27]

Smith considered running in the 2024 Libertarian Party presidential primaries but ultimately decided against it. [22] He also declined to run as Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s vice presidential candidate, citing Kennedy's staunch support for Israel in its Gaza war. [22] Smith spoke at the 2024 Libertarian National Convention. [28]

Political views

Smith is a member of the Mises Caucus of the Libertarian Party. [12] [29] [30] Smith said in a 2017 Reason interview that he "became a libertarian through the Ron Paul movement". [31] He has opposed what he sees as big tech hegemony, describing it as "the biggest threat to liberty" aside from the "tyranny of COVID-19". [32] He believes vaccine mandates are an infringement of personal liberty [33] and told Reason in 2021 that he did not plan to vaccinate himself or his child against COVID-19. [32] [34] Smith defended the Libertarian Party of Kentucky when it criticized proposed vaccine passports by comparing them to yellow stars that Jews were forced to wear. [35] Reason described him as "a vocal opponent of wokeness and political correctness". [32] An admirer of the anarcho-capitalist economist Murray Rothbard, he told Reason that, like Rothbard, he would abolish government if he could. [36]

Smith has been noted for interviews and debates with people on the far-right, such as Gavin McInnes, [37] [38] Nick Fuentes, Richard Spencer, and Christopher Cantwell. [37] [13] [26] Smith has called Fuentes a "fellow traveler", according to the SPLC[ clarification needed ]. [26] In 2021, The New Republic called Smith "a Nazi sympathizer". [37] The SPLC[ clarification needed ] noted that Smith is Jewish and has disagreed with far-right figures on the creation of a white ethnostate and the alt-right's tactics. [13] The SPLC[ clarification needed ] said that while debating with Fuentes, Smith argued for "hard-right libertarian viewpoints". [13] In an interview with Nick Gillespie, Smith defended his friendliness toward alt-right figures, saying "People who listen to my podcasts have no doubt about where I stand on all of these issues" and said that his libertarian beliefs are "the antithesis of National Socialism." [18]

Smith has said he did not support the 2024 Libertarian Party nominee, Chase Oliver, claiming that Oliver did not do enough to fight COVID-19 policies, such as lockdowns and vaccine mandates. [39]

In 2024 Smith endorsed Donald Trump and said that he would vote for Trump. [32] Smith cited Trump's promise made at the 2024 Libertarian National Convention to "...commute the sentence of Ross Ulbricht on the first day [of being elected president]..." as a major part of his reasoning for voting for Trump. Smith also said on an episode of The Joe Rogan Experience after Trump had been declared the winner of the presidential election that Trump "...better follow through on that promise and free Ross, because a lot of libertarians got behind Trump because of that promise..." [40] Ulbricht received a full pardon from President Trump on January 21, 2025. [41] In an interview with Krystal Ball and Saagar Enjeti on Breaking Points on June 16, 2025, Smith expressed regret for voting for Trump and called for Trump to be impeached and removed from office due to the possibility of him getting the US into a war with Iran. [42]

Smith has strong anti-Zionist views and frequently debates the issue, including against English neoconservative Douglas Murray. [43]

Personal life

Smith has two children with his wife, Lauren. [44]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Libertarian Presidential Candidates Champion 'Open Borders'". February 26, 2020.
  2. ↑ "Libertarian Party Rebuffs Mises Uprising". July 4, 2018.
  3. 1 2 3 Gillespie, Nick; Weissmueller, Zach (June 20, 2022). "Dave Smith: Comedian, Podcaster…Presidential Candidate?". Reason.com . Retrieved June 30, 2022.
  4. ↑ "What Is the Ideal Strategy for the Libertarian Party? A Soho Forum Debate". Reason.com . September 19, 2019.
  5. ↑ Cleary, Tom (April 27, 2021). "Comedian Slams Vaccine Passports on Joe Rogan's Podcast [WATCH]". Heavy.com . Retrieved July 24, 2021.
  6. ↑ "Kennedy: Vaping ban is a 'knee-jerk, nanny state' reaction". Fox Business . January 21, 2020. Retrieved July 24, 2021.
  7. ↑ "'Kennedy' panel flips the political script in 'Party Swap' game". Fox Business . November 13, 2020.
  8. 1 2 Cleary, Tom (April 27, 2021). "Comedian Slams Vaccine Passports on Joe Rogan's Podcast [WATCH]". Heavy.com .
  9. ↑ "Halftime Report: A shout out to 'Red Eye' fans". Fox News . September 12, 2017.
  10. ↑ "Gutfeld: NBC decides to not air 2022 Golden Globes over lack of diversity". Fox News . May 12, 2021.
  11. ↑ Page, Nicholas (December 21, 2017). "S.E. Cupp Eviscerates Ex-Obama Advisor Ben Rhodes for Wishing Death on GOP Foes: 'Try Therapy'". Mediaite .
  12. 1 2 Weissmueller, Zach; Gillespie, Nick; Thompson, Danielle (June 15, 2022). "Inside the Mises Caucus Takeover of the Libertarian Party". Reason.com . Retrieved May 27, 2023.
  13. 1 2 3 4 Newton, Creede (May 22, 2022). "Mises Caucus: Could It Sway the Libertarian Party to the Hard Right?". Southern Poverty Law Center . Retrieved July 18, 2022. Smith ... has long invited extremists and hard right and fringe figures –including HotepJesus –on his podcast, "Part of the Problem" (PotP).
  14. ↑ The Soho Forum (September 20, 2019). "How Can The Libertarian Party Effect Real Change?". Reason (Podcast). Reason Foundation. Event occurs at 1:13:42. Retrieved June 14, 2024.
  15. ↑ "Comedy vs. the State | Mises Institute". mises.org. October 21, 2020. Retrieved August 29, 2025.
  16. ↑ Isaacson, Gila (April 23, 2025). "Dave Smith thinks he can bash Israel because he's a Jew". JFeed. Retrieved August 2, 2025.
  17. ↑ "Comedy vs. the State | Mises Institute". mises.org. October 21, 2020. Retrieved August 29, 2025.
  18. 1 2 "Libertarian Comedian Dave Smith on the Alt-Right, Christopher Cantwell, and How the Left 'Went Off the Rails'". Reason.com . September 8, 2017.
  19. ↑ "Nick Gillespie on Libertarianism, Why Gary Johnson Is a Success, Trump, Clinton, and Millennials". Reason.com . October 31, 2016.
  20. ↑ Carroll, William (June 28, 2021). "Free Staters' Porcfest draws a capacity crowd". The Conway Daily Sun .
  21. ↑ Frevele, Jamie (November 8, 2023). "'You're the Wokest Out of Everybody!' Ramaswamy and Comic Dave Smith Attack DeSantis For Crackdown on Anti-Israel Speech". Mediaite . Retrieved June 19, 2024.
  22. 1 2 3 Weigel, David (February 9, 2024). "Libertarians could supercharge RFK Jr's campaign. But can he prove he's one of them?". Semafor . Retrieved June 19, 2024.
  23. ↑ Gipson, Johnell (November 15, 2020). "Joe Rogan Questions How America Will Improve With Joe Biden as President — 'Things Aren't Going To Change for the Better With Him'". cheatsheet.com.
  24. ↑ Carman, Ashley (April 27, 2021). "Spotify is okay with Joe Rogan's anti-vaccine remarks". The Verge .
  25. ↑ Wargo, Abby (July 21, 2021). "Gov. Noem, Dennis Quaid headline first night of FreedomFest". Rapid City Journal .
  26. 1 2 3 4 Newton, Creede (July 13, 2022). "Andrew Yang To Speak Alongside Far-right Figures at 'FreedomFest'". Southern Poverty Law Center . Retrieved May 15, 2023.
  27. ↑ Dave Smith (July 17, 2022). "A Response to the S.P.L.C". Part of the Problem (Podcast). GaS Digital Network. Event occurs at 29:09. Retrieved June 20, 2024. I don't run the party's social media. That's just not true. I've helped with the Twitter. That's it. I don't even run the Twitter. Most of the tweets aren't from me.
  28. ↑ "Become Ungovernable". 2024 Libertarian National Convention. Retrieved April 22, 2024.
  29. ↑ Welch, Matt (July 4, 2018). "Libertarian Party Rebuffs Mises Uprising". Reason.com . Retrieved December 24, 2022.
  30. ↑ "Tom Woods, Dave Smith, and Jason Stapleton Join the Libertarian Party". The Libertarian Republic. July 13, 2018.
  31. ↑ "Libertarian Comedian Dave Smith on the Alt-Right, Christopher Cantwell, and How the Left 'Went Off the Rails'". Reason.com . September 8, 2017. Retrieved May 16, 2023.
  32. 1 2 3 4 Gillespie, Nick (July 28, 2022). "Dave Smith: Libertarians vs. Big Tech, Big Government, and…Other Libertarians". Reason.com .
  33. ↑ Farivar, Masood (August 4, 2021). "Why Some Libertarians Support Vaccine Mandates". VOA . Retrieved December 24, 2022.
  34. ↑ Amore, Samson (April 27, 2021). "Joe Rogan Slammed for 'Deeply Irresponsible' Anti-Vaccine Comments". The Wrap .
  35. ↑ "KY Libertarian party bashed for comparing vaccine passport to Jewish Holocaust badges". kentucky.com.
  36. ↑ Weissmueller, Zach (July 25, 2022). "Should Libertarians Root for a National Divorce?". Reason.com . Retrieved August 10, 2022.
  37. 1 2 3 Simons, Seth (February 9, 2021). "The Comedy Industry Has a Big Alt-Right Problem". The New Republic . Retrieved July 18, 2022. In 2017, Dave Smith used a TGMS guest-hosting spot to interview Richard Spencer and Christopher Cantwell, giving both a friendly platform to lay out their vision for a white ethnostate.
  38. ↑ Horowitz, Justin (December 20, 2022). "Extremists, bigots, and conspiracy theorists: YouTuber Tim Pool's 2022 guests in review". Media Matters for America . Retrieved December 21, 2022. Smith is connected to white nationalist Proud Boys leader Gavin McInnes and appeared on Pool's show in September.
  39. ↑ Weissmueller, Zach (June 6, 2024). "A Power Struggle Consumes the Libertarian Party". Reason .
  40. ↑ "Dave Smith, David Stockman, and Jacob Grier: Who should win the election?". Reason.com. October 31, 2024. Retrieved November 11, 2024.
  41. ↑ Yaffe-Bellany, David; Mac, Ryan (January 22, 2025). "Trump Pardons Ross Ulbricht, Creator of Silk Road Drug Marketplace". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved January 24, 2025.
  42. ↑ "Krystal Ball on X". Twitter. June 16, 2025. Retrieved June 16, 2025. True to his word, @ComicDaveSmith apologizes for his Trump support and even calls for Trump's impeachment and removal!! after Trump helps launch Iran War.
  43. ↑ Leonard, Ralph (April 11, 2025). "Dave Smith-Douglas Murray debate highlights Right-wing fault lines". UnHerd . Retrieved June 5, 2025. Murray is a neoconservative intellectual and one of the most prominent public defenders of Israel; Smith is an anti-war libertarian comedian and firm anti-Zionist. The conflict in Gaza has provided a clear fault line for their differences to be exposed.
  44. ↑ Dave, Smith [@ComicDaveSmith] (October 26, 2021). "Happy anniversary to my beautiful wife, Lauren. The best thing I ever did in my life was marry her and it's not even close. She gave me two beautiful babies and a beautiful life. No matter what I do I will never be able to repay her, but I will spend the rest of my life trying" (Tweet). Retrieved August 28, 2025– via Twitter.
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