Who is Stephen A. Smith? ESPN personality says he's 'open' to running for president
"Time to stop messing around. Life is great. Especially at ESPN/Disney," the 57-year-old "First Take" host said in an April 7 post on X. "Hate the thought of being a politician. But sick of this mess. So I'm officially leaving all doors open."
The sports journalist, who currently has a feud with NBA basketball player LeBron James, has been floated by many as a potential White House contender. The calls for Smith to run have come given the populist wave that returned Donald Trump to the office, and calls for a shakeup in the Democratic Party.
Smith told USA TODAY back in March he didn't "give a damn about the office" and preferred sparring with political leaders rather than being one.
But that hasn't stopped speculation, particularly after a Jan. 27 poll by McLaughlin & Associates, a popular Republican pollster, showed Smith within striking distance of well-known Democratic contenders.
The poll asked 414 voters if the Democratic primary for president were held today who would they prefer and had expected names at the top such as former Vice President Kamala Harris who raked in 33% but also former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and California Gov. Gavin Newsom, who pulled in 9% and 7% respectively.
Smith received 2% in the poll, which was in the single-digit neighborhood of other elected officials who've been touted as possible Democratic nominees, such as Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (who was Harris' running mate) and New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker.
"Over the last few weeks, I've had no choice but to get more serious about it," Smith said Monday in an interview during the NAB Show in Las Vegas.
"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."
Smith reiterated his reluctance "be a politician," but that if after the 2026 mid-terms he thinks the country remains "an absolute mess" he won't rule out running.
While many may scoff at the idea, it's worth noting that Trump was once in the basement of many Republican primary surveys ahead of his 2016 win. In the summer before, the real estate mogul was at 2% in a Texas Politics Project poll below GOP stalwarts at the time such as Marco Rubio, Scott Walker and Jeb Bush.
ESPN personality Stephen A. Smith has accumulated a net worth of $85 million as of 2025, according to Finance Monthly.
— USA TODAY contributed to this report.
This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Stephen A. Smith reconsiders 2028 presidential bid: 'No choice'
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