America may learn even more about Stephen A. Smith’s story in the coming years if he pursues political office. But for now, a key figure in that story is saying he believes Smith was born to run.
In the latest episode of his podcast, Smith’s former First Take cohost Skip Bayless explained why he thinks Smith is in fact the perfect man for the role given what works in politics these days.
“If a primary requirement for a president in today’s America is being telegenic, then Stephen A. Smith was born to be president of the United States,” Bayless said. “Stephen A., trust me on this, is more gifted on television than anyone I have ever worked with.”
Looking at Trump’s two presidential wins and the political landscape, Bayless believes Smith’s ability to captivate an audience and weave an argument together makes him well-suited to cut through. In fact, Bayless thinks Smith is even better at it than some of the most effective political communicators of our time, from Barack Obama to the current president.
“If we’re just talking about telegenic, the ability to convince and captivate on TV, Stephen A. is actually a little more telegenic than President Trump is, and President Trump was born telegenic,” Bayless argued.
Dipping into his experiment working with Smith, Bayless revealed that he always knew Smith secretly had more passion for politics and news than the sports world.
“This is what I know about Stephen A. Smith. He has even more passion for politics than he has for sports. Trust me,” Bayless said. “Stephen A. closely followed politics, and off-camera got, even more, worked up about politics than he got about sports.”
Under his new ESPN contract, Smith is allowed to provide political commentary without running it past management. Smith has already used that cover to flood the zone across his podcast and the broader news talk ecosystem.
Because he is so effective and captivating, pollsters and strategists in Washington are pushing Smith as a potential presidential candidate in 2028.
And Bayless believes it could very well work.
