Stephen A. Smith Names 2 Political Figures 'Trying To Coax' Him Into Presidential Run
Stephen A. Smith is once again teasing a potential run for the White House.
The ESPN sports analyst was asked in an interview published Tuesday if he would rather win an Oscar or a presidential election, and while he firmly chose the trophy, Smith hasn't shut the door on politics — and said some people have already 'been trying to coax' him into running.
'I've had strategists reaching out to members of my team … so they could talk to me about it,' Smith told The Hollywood Reporter. 'Ro Khanna, I will give you that name, is a [progressive Democrat] representative out of California and has spoken publicly about me.'
'Steve Bannon on the right, which I'm not flattered by this, but he's throwing my name out there,' he continued, referring to the former Donald Trump adviser. 'It's not something I'm pursuing. I just signed a hefty new contract with ESPN. I'm not trying to give up my money. I'm a proud capitalist.'
The clincher: 'But I keep my options open because you never know what would happen.'
The sports analyst ultimately acknowledged that he isn't 'qualified to be a politician' and claimed he's never 'had any interest' in being one. He also said America's political duopoly can't even 'come together for a cup of coffee' and that this has to change.
Smith has openly pondered a foray into politics before, and earned 2% of the vote in a recent McLaughlin & Associates poll asking 414 people to choose from a list of hypothetical Democratic candidates ahead of 2028 — only 1 percentage point behind Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, Democrats' 2024 vice presidential nominee.
Even President Donald Trump publicly endorsed the idea of Smith entering the race.
While Smith decried the poll results at the time as a sign of how 'pathetic' the Democratic Party is today, he said Tuesday there's 'nothing but chaos and deprivation in the streets of America' — and spoke like he might want to throw his hat in the ring to change that.
'I'm a moderate, and my objective would be trying to pull both sides closer to the center,' he said. 'Let's stop with the MAGA, right stuff. Let's stop with the progressive left. Let's start with everybody from the extremists on the right, to the AOCs and Jasmine Crocketts on the left.'
While Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) and Jasmine Crockett (D-Texas) are rarely described as 'extremists' by non-Republicans, Smith argued that the country must ensure 'that the interest of the majority is served instead of surrendering to the fringes.'
He also slammed the Democratic Party as a whole, however, and said party members 'manipulate' primaries to ensure 'their candidate' gets nominated. Smith pointed to the 2016 primaries, which some pundits and politicians have said were 'rigged' to favor former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton over Rep. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.).
An official announcement, if it were to come, seems to be a long way off, though Smith appears to be pondering politics.
'I don't mind having a big voice and ruffling feathers, because contrary to what most elected officials are accustomed to dealing with, the negativity and controversy and all of that stuff doesn't faze me one bit,' he told THR. 'I live with it every day of my career.'
'It's a walk in the park for me,' Smith continued, 'so I don't worry about it one bit.'
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