All bets are off about the future of the U.S. presidency.
President Donald Trump has broken just about every preexisting notion we once had about who can be president, what it takes to be president, and what people want from a president. While many Americans are busy grappling with the realities of his nascent second term, it’s never too early to start thinking about who will replace Trump in four years and what kind of person America will want to elect (assuming, you know, we can still do that).
In many ways, Trump has ushered in the era of the celebrity president. When people start listing potential candidates to replace Trump (or, for all we know, run against him again), many want to fight fire with fire and look to non-traditional celebrity candidates who can offer a similar cult of personality regardless of any political acumen.
That’s pretty much how ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith has found himself the most-discussed potential presidential candidate of the moment. While Smith has done plenty to stoke those flames over the years, the buzz around the outspoken sports media pundit’s presidential aspirations increased exponentially in recent weeks. Even House Democratic minority leader Hakeem Jeffries sounded intrigued by some of Smith’s positions, though perhaps not all of them.
In recent days, Smith has simultaneously stoked the flames and tamped them out, depending on who he’s talking to. Never one to let others tell his story, the bombastic First Take talent took to his podcast to provide the definitive answer on whether or not he wants to be President of the United States, even if that answer is anything but definitive.
“I have no intentions of running for the presidency of the United States of America,” said Smith in the latest episode of his show. “I do not believe I am an aficionado. I do not believe that my pockets are deep enough for me to ignore the financial strain that could potentially have on me because, obviously, I earn more than the President of the United States right now. He makes about $400,000 a year… Needless to say, I make more money than that. So, I’m not really interested on that level.
“But here’s a reason why, while being honest about having zero desire whatsoever to be a politician… but there’s a reason while saying what I’ve said and meaning it, I’ve even said in a half-joking way, if the American people wanted me to be the President of the United States and I knew I had a really, really good shot to win, I can’t deny that it’s something I would consider.
“Let me tell you why I say that. Because I think our system sucks. I think the binary system where we have to choose between the Democrats and the Republicans is a joke. I think it dissuades the vast majority of American citizens from wanting to be a part of the political process. And I think that something needs to be done about it in order to bring America back to where it should have always been.”
So, if you’re keeping score, Stephen A. Smith has no desire to be president, but he would absolutely be president if people wanted him to be president because he believes that someone needs to bring change to America, and that person could probably be him.
Does that clear things up? No? Well, too bad because this Smith will continue this dumb cycle for years to come.
