Dave Smith | |
|---|---|
 Smith at 2022 Revolution hosted byYoung Americans for Liberty | |
| Born | David Smith (1983-04-20)April 20, 1983 (age 42) New York City, New York, U.S. |
| Occupation | Comedian |
| Political party | Libertarian[1][2] |
| Other political affiliations | Mises Caucus |
| Spouse | Lauren Smith |
| Children | 2 |
| Website | comicdavesmith |
David Smith (born April 20, 1983) is an American stand-up comedian, podcaster, and political commentator, who hosts the libertarian podcastPart of the Problem.[3][4][5]
Smith is a close friend ofJoe Rogan and a regular guest onThe Joe Rogan Experience. He has also frequently appeared onFox News'Kennedy[6][7],The Greg Gutfeld Show,[8][9][10] andCNN'sS.E. Cupp: Unfiltered, and has also appeared on theLex Fridmanpodcast, among others.[11] Smith is a member of theMises Caucus of theLibertarian Party.[12]
According to Smith, he was raised inBrooklyn, New York by his single mother.[13] He isJewish and is the grandchild of aHolocaust survivor.[14][15]
In 2013, Smith was featured as one of the New Faces at theJust for Laughs Comedy Festival in Montreal. He was a featured performer on theNew York Comedy Festival's "New York's Funniest" showcase in 2014 and 2015.[16]
He hosts thePart of the Problem podcast and cohosts the comedy podcastLegion of Skanks.[3][8][13][17] According toPorcFest,Part of the Problem is one of the top two libertarian podcasts in the world.[18] OnPart of the Problem, Smith has interviewed political figures such asVivek Ramaswamy[19] andRobert F. Kennedy Jr.[20] Smith has also made repeated appearances onThe Joe Rogan Experience andTimcast and is considered to be a close friend of Rogan's.[21][22][3]
On September 11, 2017, Smith released his first comedy special,Libertas.[13]
He was the MC forFreedomFest, a libertarian festival, in 2021,[23] and a featured speaker there in 2022.[24] According to theSouthern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), Smith was running theLibertarian Party's social media,[24] but he has denied this saying that he only "helped with the Twitter".[25]
Smith considered running in the2024 Libertarian Party presidential primaries but ultimately decided against it.[20] He also declined to run as Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'svice presidential candidate, citing Kennedy's staunch support forIsrael in itsGaza war.[20] Smith spoke at the2024 Libertarian National Convention.[26]
Smith is a member of theMises Caucus of the Libertarian Party.[12][27][28] Smith said in a 2017Reason interview that he "became a libertarian through theRon Paul movement".[29] He has opposed what he sees asbig tech hegemony, describing it as "the biggest threat to liberty" aside from the "tyranny ofCOVID-19".[30] He believes vaccine mandates are an infringement of personal liberty[31] and toldReason in 2021 that he did not plan to vaccinate himself or his child against COVID-19.[30][32] Smith defended theLibertarian Party of Kentucky when it criticized proposedvaccine passports by comparing them toyellow stars that Jews were forced to wear.[33]Reason described him as "a vocal opponent of wokeness and political correctness".[30] An admirer of theanarcho-capitalist economistMurray Rothbard, he toldReason that like Rothbard he would abolish government if he could.[34]
Smith has been noted for interviews and debates with people, such asGavin McInnes,[35][36]Nick Fuentes,Richard Spencer, andChristopher Cantwell.[35][14][24] Smith has called Fuentes a "fellow traveler", according to the SPLC.[24] In 2021,The New Republic called Smith "a Nazi sympathizer".[35] The SPLC noted that Smith is Jewish and has disagreed with far-right figures on the creation of awhite ethnostate and thealt-right's tactics.[14] Debating with Fuentes, the SPLC said, Smith argued for "hard-right libertarian viewpoints".[14] In an interview withNick Gillespie, Smith defended his friendliness towards 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 ofNational Socialism."[13]
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.[37]
In 2024 Smith endorsedDonald Trump and said that he would vote for Trump.[30] Smith cited Trump's promise made at the2024 Libertarian National Convention to "...commute the sentence ofRoss 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 ofThe 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..."[38] Ulbricht received a full pardon from President Trump on January 21, 2025.[39]
Smith has two children with his wife, Lauren.[40]
Smith ... has long invited extremists and hard right and fringe figures – including HotepJesus – on his podcast, "Part of the Problem" (PotP).
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.
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.
Smith is connected to white nationalist Proud Boys leader Gavin McInnes and appeared on Pool's show in September.