ESPN hot-take artist Stephen A. Smith says he must consider a presidential run because he is ” disgusted” with both parties.
“I have no choice, because I’ve had elected officials — and I’m not going to give their names — coming up to me,” Smith told ABC’s Jonathan Karl on Sunday. “I’ve had folks who are pundits come up to me. I’ve had folks that got a lot of money, billionaires and others, that have talked to me about exploratory committees and things of that nature. I’m not a politician. I’ve never had a desire to be a politician.”
After initially closing the door on a presidential run, Smith reopened the door earlier this month, saying he would not rule out a run for office.
“People have walked up to me, including my own pastor, for crying out loud, who has said to me, ‘you don’t know what God has planned for you, at least show the respect to the people who believe in you, who respect you, who believe that you can make a difference in this country to leave the door open for any possibilities two to three years down the line,’” Smoth posted on X. “And that’s what I’ve decided to do,” the ESPN host said. “So, I would hope somebody else would step up that’s more qualified than me, but if it has to come down to me, it is something I would consider. Yes, I would because I don’t mind tussling with these folks at all on the left or the right. All of them disgust me, to be quite honest with you.”
As to why he’s even in the mix as a potential candidate, Smith pointed the finger at the failures of the Democratic Party.
“The bigger picture here is Elizabeth Warren was just on with you. You’re going to have a multitude of Democratic representatives on with you. They talk, and they talk, and they talk, but what can they do? They position themselves to do absolutely nothing. I didn’t hear anything about tariffs from Democrats before the election. Trump had been preaching about this for the longest time,” Smith explained.
Smith specifically criticized Democrats for focusing on “woke” culture instead of the needs of the American people.
“It’s an indictment against the Democratic Party that doesn’t have leadership and doesn’t have a vision, and it’s sad,” Smith explained.
At the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) convention in Las Vegas, Smith made his stance plain.
“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 — whether it’s via exploratory committees or anything else — that I indeed have a legitimate shot to win the presidency of the United States, I am not going to rule it out, and I’m not playing.”