Stephen A. Smith just dropped some serious news that has everyone talking. The ESPN host isn’t toying with the possibility of a 2028 presidential run.
Smith sat down with ABC News’ Lindsay Davis and made it clear: He’s considering the White House because powerful people keep asking him about it.
“I’m considering it very seriously because I’ve had very, very serious people ask me about it,” Smith told Davis in the interview.
The First Take host explained that billionaires and elected officials have been attacking him over the exploratory committee. This is no longer a casual conversation. Smith emphasized that he never wanted to be a politician. But when people of real influence start talking about a presidential campaign, you listen.
“I had no choice,” Smith told ABC News in April 2025. “I had elected officials come to me. I had experts come to me. I had people with a lot of money, billionaires and others who talked to me about the exploratory commission.”
Even his pastor got in on the act. The religious leader told Smith not to close the door to anything.
“Don’t close the door on this,” Smith recalled his pastor saying. “You never know what God has in store for you.”
Smith is registered as an independent voter. For years, he has railed against both political parties on his show. The sports commentator thinks he can shake up the political establishment.
He wanted to debate career politicians on national television.
“I’m very serious about standing up to those politicians,” Smith explained. “I’m not a politician but I want to stand up to them on the debate stage and expose what they are doing to our country and hurting us. It would be my honor.”
Smith believes the fact that people want a sports analyst to run for president shows how broken the Democratic Party is.
“That’s why a sports analyst gets in trouble in the polls for shouting,” Smith said. “This is not someone exaggerating on me. It’s an indictment of a Democratic Party that has no leadership. It has no vision.”
The ESPN personality has gained attention for her comments about black women in politics. He personally apologized to Rep. Jasmine Crockett for his criticism that may have created the environment in which Trump attacked her.
Smith also attacked the former MSNBC host after Joy Reid criticized him. He said Reed’s show was canceled because her ratings dropped 47%.
“If your numbers are down 47 percent, and you’re black in the culture we live in, do you really expect anything else to happen?” Smith asked.
Smith enjoys his current job hosting shows on ESPN and his own podcast. He made millions talking about sports and culture. Still, the president’s conversation has moved from hypotheticals to real considerations. Smith said the responsibility that comes with his platform has forced him to think about bigger questions.
Smith confirmed that the 2028 presidential filing deadline will not be announced until the end of 2027, giving him two years to make a decision.
