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Will Stephen A. Smith trade ESPN for the White House? The First Take host has spoken about the possibility of entering politics but never gave a concrete answer on if we would actually run for president. Smith spoke about a potential career at the NAB Show is Las Vegas over the weekend.
“I have no desire to do it,” said Smith to Barrett Media about running for potentially seeking the highest office in the country. “I’m living a pretty good life right now. Life’s been good. The last thing that I would want to do is involve myself in politics. I’ve always perceived politicians as being professional beggars. I don’t say that derogatorily or anything like that. It’s just the reality. You’ve always got your hand out for something. People always need favors in return. I’m not that guy. So I could never see myself as a politician.”
Smith then revealed that he has been entertaining the idea in a more “serious” matter. One of the reasons he wants to run is because of his dislike for the current state of the United States.
“Over the last few weeks, I’ve had no choice but to get more serious about it,” he shared. “I’ve been approached by people on Capitol Hill. I’ve been approached by people who are elected officials in office, whether it’s governors or mayors or what have you. People have legitimately, seriously, asked me about it. I have no desire to be a politician, but I’ve decided that I’m no longer going to close that door. I’m gonna keep my options open. I’m going to entertain the possibility. If it comes in late 2026, 2027, where I look at this country and think it’s an absolute mess and there’s legitimate reason to believe … that I indeed have a legitimate shot to win the presidency of the United States. I am not going to rule it out.”
Smith who is reportedly a registered Independent, spoke on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon about there not being a cohesive voice in the Democratic Party.
“Even though there’s a lot of qualified Democrats all over the country from a local perspective—governors, mayors, stuff like that—there’s no real national voice,” he said. “They’ve come to me … and so, I mean, I did not ask for this. I don’t want this. I happen to have a very, very, very good life, very good job. I’m good, very good.”
Speaking to Barrett Media, the ESPN host also shared who he believes he would be running against if he were to run for president. The broadcaster told the outlet he believes Governors Wes Moore (MD), Josh Shapiro (PA), and Gavin Newsom (CA) would most likely be against him for the official Democratic nomination.
While Smith's choice to run is not set in stone, the sports commentator who just signed an $100 million contract with ESPN, has a lot of support coming his way if he does decide to take the leap to the White House.
“Rather than just dismiss it or make fun of it or ignore it, Democrats would be wise to study what makes him so successful because there is nobody in the Democratic party that is as relevant a voice on a day-to-day basis as Stephen A Smith,” media relations consultant and Democratic strategist Kurt Bardella said per The Guardian.
