Stephen A. Smith is now fully leaning into speculation that he will run for president in 2028.
The ESPN megastar addressed the topic directly on Monday, as he took to X to retweet an article in which he discussed the possibility. His tweet said, "Time to stop messing around. Life is great. Especially at ESPN/Disney. Hate the thought of being a politician. But sick of this mess. So I’m officially leaving all doors open."
Time to stop messing around. Life is great. Especially at ESPN/Disney. Hate the thought of being a politician. But sick of this mess.
— Stephen A Smith (@stephenasmith) April 7, 2025
So I’m officially leaving all doors open https://t.co/n6BmAOKjiv
At the NAB Show in Las Vegas, Smith was asked about his presidential ambitions and downplayed them, before totally reversing course. His quotes on the subject are a bit of a journey:
"I have no desire to do it. 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."
He then said he had been courted for the job in recent weeks:
"Over the last few weeks, I’ve had no choice but to get more serious about it. 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."
So yeah, we're here now. Stephen A. Smith, is open to running to become president of the United States.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Stephen A. Smith to 'Entertain the Possibility' of Running for President.
