ESPN host Stephen A. Smith appeared to reverse course about rumors that he could be planning to run for president in 2028, and now said he hopes “somebody from the Democratic Party steps up” in a new interview.
Readers might remember that back in February, the sports host shut down the idea of running for president when his name appeared in a poll as a possible presidential candidate for the Democratic Party.
During “The Stephen A. Smith Show” podcast, Smith said he has “no intention” of running for president.
“I have no desire whatsoever to compromise my quality of life for this,” Smith said. “But I’ll say this much about myself, I don’t blame millions of Americans if they want me to. Because what the hell is the alternative. Look at you all … I’m talking to the Dems specifically.”
RELATED: James Carville Is Really Mad That Stephen A. Smith Is ‘Running His ——- Mouth’ About Politics
On Tuesday, he told Fox News’ Sean Hannity,“I hope somebody from the Democratic Party steps up,” adding that “I hope I light a fire under them and get a more qualified individual in this mix, so people can stop asking me this stuff and I can enjoy my life.”
Smith continued, “But if it continues to get worse, all hands on deck, all of us should consider running, for crying out loud, rather than dealing with this nonsense.”
The comments appeared to somewhat contradict what he said during his appearance last Sunday on ABC News’ “This Week” when he told host Jonathan Karl he has “no choice” but to consider running for president, pointing out the Democratic Party’s lack of leadership and vision.
“I have no choice, because I’ve had elected officials, and I’m not going to give their names, elected officials coming up to me,” the sports host said. “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,” he added. “I’m not a politician. I’ve never had a desire to be a politician.”
Smith explained that “the reality” is he’s been inundated by people–even his own pastor–approaching him and telling him:
”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 some to three years down the line.’And that’s what I’ve decided to do.”
Smith – who has been critical of the Democrats since the 2024 election – posted recently on X that he is leaving “all doors open” about a presidential bid.
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 https://t.co/n6BmAOKjiv
— Stephen A Smith (@stephenasmith) April 7, 2025
“Time to stop messing around,” the ESPN host wrote. “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.”
We’ll keep you posted.
