Stephen A. Smith, the famed sports radio host and commentator on ESPN’s “First Take,” was asked by TMZ Sports last week ahead of Super Bowl LIX about his potential plan to run for U.S. president in the future.
“I ain’t trying to run for office or anything like that,” Smith clarified. “I love talking politics, and I love talking about things not just sports. If the American people want to sit up there and say, ‘Yo we want Stephen A. to run,’ I’m not going to be mad at that.”
“I don’t know what the hell they’re thinking. I ain’t qualified, but if you want to go ahead and entertain it, you can go ahead and entertain it,” Smith said.
The widely followed firm McLaughlin & Associates revealed a Jan. 27 poll, assessing support by percentages for several Democratic primary candidates for president in 2028. Just 2% of voters said they would vote for Smith in the 2028 presidential election, and maybe that’s all the support he needs.
2028 Democratic Primary Poll
| 2028 Democratic Primary Poll Candidate | Support Percentage |
| Kamala Harris | 33% |
| Pete Buttigieg | 9% |
| Gavin Newsom | 7% |
| Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez | 6% |
| Josh Shapiro | 3% |
| Tim Walz | 3% |
| Stephen A. Smith | 2% |
Although Stephen A. Smith appearing in this poll might not seem like a big deal to some, according to The Athletic’s Dan Shanoff, the Texas Politics Project poll from the summer of 2015 also gave Donald Trump a 2% chance at the Republican nomination in the state.
An American doesn’t need any political experience to win an election — President Donald Trump is the textbook example. Anything can happen in the future, if Smith does decide to run.
“He’s inspired all of us because if he can be president, a lot of us could be president,” Smith added.
Stephen A. Smith Still Wants To Be U.S. President
Smith doesn’t seem to be ruling out a presidential run in his future, as long as he doesn’t have to campaign. CNBC Sport’s Alex Sherman’s interview with Smith was released last Wednesday.
“Does any part of you want to run for office?” asked Sherman.
“I wouldn’t say that. I mean, the one thing I don’t want to do is run for office, and I wouldn’t mind being in office, but running for it is a problem,” Smith replied. “I’m not one of those dudes that’s great at shaking hands and kissing babies, per se, and currying favor with politicians and donors. I’m not a beggar. That’s not who I am.
“Now, if you told me I could bypass all of that, and I could go up on that stage on national television, for a presidential debate, and go up against some of the people that I’ve seen, you name the time and place and I’ll show up. You tell me I can catapult to the White House, and I could be in a position to affect millions upon millions of lives, not just in America, but the world over, yeah, that’s something that I would entertain.”
Smith Takes Stance Against Transgender Athletes
Regarding Smith’s politics, the ESPN personality made his stance clear on the topic of trans inclusion in girls and women’s sports during an interview with Bloomberg on radio row in New Orleans before Super Bowl LIX.
This came shortly after President Donald Trump signed an executive order to ban transgender athletes from competing against women and girls in school sports leagues.
“So that’s how I look at it. LGBTQ rights and all that stuff, I’m in full support of that, but when transgender athletes, men are transitioning to women and they’re competing in female sports, that’s a different animal to me,” Stephen A. Smith said.
“That’s not just about LGBTQ rights. That’s about prying on the rights of females out there everywhere who were born female, and they’re at a decided disadvantage.”
