Democratic leader: ‘There’s a lot to like about Stephen A. Smith’

We haven’t even reached Donald Trump’s first 100 days in office, and the idea of Stephen A. Smith running for president in 2028 is becoming a legitimate talking point.

Smith claims to have no interest in running for president but also says he’s willing to do it if that’s what the American people want. How does the Democratic Party feel about this? Is it just some sort of nonsense that sports fans are becoming enamored with? Or is the idea of Stephen A. Smith being the Democratic nominee for president in 2028 actually gaining traction? As of Feb. 13, 2023, it might be the latter.

Thursday afternoon, Kara Voght of The Washington Post asked House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries about Smith’s potential candidacy, and the Democrat from New York didn’t shut the idea down.

https://t.co/0b1lo9Up1P pic.twitter.com/RaKBbgFNij

— Stephen A Smith (@stephenasmith) February 13, 2025

“2028 is way off in the distance,” Jeffries said. “House Democrats are engaged in an hour-by-hour, day-to-day, week-to-week struggle on behalf of the American people in the context of the first 100 days and beyond. There’s a lot to like about Stephen A. Smith, including the fact that we are both diehard Knicks fans.”

Surely, there is more to winning the nomination than being a Knicks fan. But if the ESPN personality is going to run for office, having top Democrats say “there’s a lot to like about Stephen A. Smith” seems like a good start.

It’s crazy, right? America would never vote for a brash TV personality and entertainer with zero political background to be President of the United States. Okay, maybe they will. Realistically, the idea of Smith being the Democratic nominee for president in 2028 is no crazier today than the idea of Trump being the 2016 GOP nominee in 2013.

But would Smith seriously entertain the idea?

Sure, he’s teased it for years on First Take. He teased it again last November on The View after Donald Trump was elected to his second term in the White House. But is any of that serious? Or does he just like the attention? Because every time Smith teases the idea a little bit, he quickly walks it back. And then, every time he walks it back, he messes with our brains again by making another appearance on Fox News, CNN or MSNBC to open the door just a little bit more.

Currently, the biggest obstacle to Smith’s considering a run for office is the pay cut it would require. Smith is on the verge of getting paid upwards of $20 million per year in his next contract from ESPN, and the president’s salary represents about 1.25% of that.

But Smith shouldn’t worry too much. Whatever he would lose by running, or dare we say winning the White House, he could recoup after his presidential duties are complete.

What are we supposed to believe? If everyone else is going to keep teasing the idea, then why shouldn’t Smith? There have been much worse presidential candidates. Surely, he loves the attention, and it certainly isn’t bad for his brand or podcast. He probably won’t be America’s next president, but we’ll all be satisfied if this narrative at least grows to the point where Stephen A. Smith lands on the debate stage.