CBS’ Robert Costa offers strong indication of Stephen A. Smith presidential run

Stephen A. Smith can’t resist the allure of a presidential run.

The teasing by Smith about potentially joining the Democratic primary field for the 2028 election began more than a year ago, when Smith popped up in an early poll shortly after Donald Trump’s victory. Smith initially leaned in heavily to the attention around his political ambitions before pumping the brakes a few months later. The First Take host backed off the idea, he said, largely because he did not want to give up his lucrative ESPN salary.

However, Smith has kept the door open, and in an upcoming interview with CBS Sunday Morning, has reportedly given one of his most specific and intentional responses to the idea of a run.

“I will confess to you, I’m giving strong consideration to being on that debate stage for 2027,” Smith told national correspondent Robert Costa. “I’ve got this year coming up 2026, to think about it, to study, to know the issues.”

The interview was seemingly enough to convince Costa, an experienced Washington insider, to take Smith seriously as a challenger.

In further comments first published by Deadline, Smith repeated his desire, first and foremost, to debate his fellow Democratic presidential wannabes.

“I’d love to be on the debate stages against some of these individuals that think they’re better suited to run the country,” Smith told CBS, via Deadline. “Because I think that the American people deserve to listen to and hear from somebody who genuinely cares about making life better for them instead of yourself.”

No one would deny that Smith could hold his own in a debate format against other Democratic hopefuls. But while he has no hesitation about sharing controversial political opinions on his weekly SiriusXM political talk show, Smith is a long way from a fully fledged platform. There is a difference between winning a televised disagreement and motivating a political movement.

In a post on X, Costa likened Smith’s current situation to that of Trump in the early days of the 2016 cycle:

“Stephen A. Smith is moving closer to a 2028 campaign,” Costa wrote. “Spending a few days with him in recent months reminded me of spending a few days with Trump back in 2013-2014.”

Stephen A. Smith is moving closer to a 2028 campaign… spending a few days with him in recent months reminded me of spending a few days with Trump back in 2013-2014. Many laughed at the prospect of a bid. But in an age of celebrity and social media… https://t.co/VrTmJUWtsB

— Robert Costa (@costareports) February 13, 2026

In those days, Trump was seen as a grandstander whose run would merely be a stunt.

Now, Trump is publicly egging Smith on to run. And Smith, likewise, has stated he potentially should have voted for the president in 2024.

So Smith will take the upcoming year to determine the viability of a run, and see whether he can take his dreams from a longshot to a reality.

The interview with Smith will air Sunday morning on CBS.