Jack Smith's 'No Kings' Shirt Sparks Fiery Trump Attack on Truth Social

Dave Grohl appeared to give Jack Smith an unexpected rock-star moment, dedicating Foo Fighters' 'My Hero' to his 'new friend Jack' while wearing an Iowa Hawkeyes shirt, days after Senator Eric Schmitt's bizarre basketball mix-up involving the former special counsel.

Smith was spotted in the crowd at the Power to the People Festival at Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, Maryland, on Saturday, October 3.

He was wearing a Bruce Springsteen shirt emblazoned with 'No Kings', a slogan associated with protests against President Donald Trump. By Sunday, the festival appearance had drawn Trump's attention too.

Dave Grohl Dedicates 'My Hero' to Jack Smith

During the Foo Fighters' set, Grohl introduced 'My Hero' and dedicated it to 'my new friend Jack'.

Grohl did not identify Jack by his full name, but Smith was in the crowd. Grohl was also wearing an Iowa Hawkeyes T-shirt, a detail that immediately connected the moment to Schmitt's chaotic Senate questioning of Smith earlier in the week.

The timing was hard to miss.

Just days earlier, the Missouri Republican had tried to challenge Smith's testimony by accusing him of lying about his whereabouts during a February 2024 basketball game.

Eric Schmitt's Hawks-Hawkeyes Mix-Up

At a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on September 29, Schmitt questioned Smith about whether he had attended an Atlanta Hawks NBA game against the Golden State Warriors in Atlanta.

Schmitt said he had text messages that contradicted Smith's testimony and suggested the former special counsel had traveled to Atlanta to meet Fulton County District Attorney Fani T. Willis.

'I think you've already perjured yourself,' Schmitt told Smith.

Then the accusation began to unravel.

Smith said he had not attended the Atlanta game. He had instead attended a University of Iowa women's basketball game against the University of Maryland in College Park, Maryland, where Caitlin Clark was playing.

Senator Amy Klobuchar pointed out the apparent confusion between the Iowa Hawkeyes and Atlanta Hawks, turning Schmitt's attempted 'gotcha' moment into the viral story from the hearing.

That made Grohl's Iowa shirt particularly striking when he took the stage days later.

Grohl did not explain the shirt himself, but Consequence described it as a reference to Schmitt's hearing blunder. The combination of the Hawkeyes shirt and the 'My Hero' dedication created a remarkable callback to the Senate clash without Grohl having to mention Schmitt by name.

Jack Smith's 'No Kings' Shirt

Smith had his own headline-making clothing choice at the festival.

He was photographed wearing a Springsteen 'Land of Hope and Dreams' shirt featuring the words 'No Kings'. Springsteen was one of the festival's headline performers, while Rage Against the Machine guitarist Tom Morello organised the event.

The festival brought together politically outspoken musicians including Springsteen and the Foo Fighters, giving Smith's appearance a very different backdrop from the Senate hearing he had attended only days earlier.

Smith previously led the federal investigations into Trump's efforts to overturn the 2020 election and his handling of classified documents. Those cases were dropped after Trump won the 2024 presidential election.

Trump Fires Back at Smith

Trump responded on Truth Social on Sunday after photographs of Smith at the festival circulated.

'Deranged Jack Smith is a Crooked Prosecutor!' Trump wrote, linking to a report about Smith wearing the 'No Kings' shirt.

The post brought the former prosecutor back into the political spotlight just days after his Senate appearance had already become a viral talking point.

What began with a disputed basketball detail had now travelled from Capitol Hill to a Maryland concert stage, with an Iowa Hawkeyes shirt, a Foo Fighters classic and a 'No Kings' slogan all becoming part of the same story.

For Smith, it was an extraordinary few days: a Senate hearing centred on the Hawks and Hawkeyes, a surprise appearance at a major music festival, a 'My Hero' dedication from Grohl and, finally, another direct attack from Trump.