No one wants a Stephen A. Smith presidential run except Stephen A. Smith

The United States of America in 2026 is attempting to survive a presidency that is sliding the country towards fascism, while masked federal agents kidnap some people while killing others, and we come to grips with the reality that a billionaire pedophile was the Forrest Gump of everything terrible that’s happened in the last 25 years.

The next elected president, assuming we get one, will be tasked with cleaning up the mess left behind (somehow) and righting the ship to bring decency and non-brainworm thinking back to politics.

The last person in America who needs to be considered for that job might be Stephen A. Smith. But in true Stephen A. Smith fashion, he’s not going to let that stop him.

The host of ESPN’s First Take and multiple SiriusXM shows spent much of 2025 publicly flirting with a run for the highest office in the land, hemming and hawing about whether or not he actually wanted to do so. Few, if any, people thought this was a good idea. And even Smith seemed to move on after he got a new lucrative ESPN contract and SiriusXM deal.

However, it sounds like he’s starting up the campaign once more. CBS Sunday Morning national correspondent Robert Costa shared in a post to X on Friday that during Smith’s February 15 appearance on the news program, he will say he is considering throwing his name in the hat for the Democratic presidential primary.

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

Stephen A. Smith to @CBSSunday airing Feb. 15: “I will confess to you, I’m giving strong consideration to being on that debate stage for 2027” and running for the Democratic nomination. “I’ve got this year coming up 2026, to think about it, to study, to know the issues.”

— Robert Costa (@costareports) February 13, 2026

The 58-year-old sports and political commentator has been positioning himself for the national stage in recent years, with his own podcast, acting roles, cable news appearances, and his political show on SiriusXM.

In terms of what he stands for, Smith says in a clip released on social media that he would run for the Democratic nomination because he “couldn’t see myself as a member of the GOP,” adding that he is a “fiscal conservative” but a “social liberal” who believes in “living and let live.”

In terms of potential rivals for the nomination, like California Governor Gavin Newsom, Smith said that while he respects his intellect, he thinks the governor would have more potential if he “moved towards the center,” which was a bit of a tell in terms of where Smith thinks the party needs to go.

That makes sense when you look at what Smith has had to say about social and politicial issues over the last few years. While he has always tried to align himself with the Democratic Party, his opinions often mirror those more aligned with center, center-right, and right-wing ideology. He also often has nicer things to say about right-wing influencers than he does about liberal ones. To say nothing of his commentaries around diverse communities and women.

How is ESPN going to feel about this if it actually happens? So far, they’ve been more than happy to put Smith front and center as he transitions beyond their realm. Their party line appears to be that anything that happens off their airwaves is none of their concern, but that won’t be an easy line to hold if Smith actually goes full politician.

Smith has exhauated so much goodwill with so many audiences, it’s hard to know who will get behind any attempt for a politicial campaign, especially when he has no real platform to speak of. Honestly, based on what he has presented, conservatives are more likely to rally behind him than liberals, which makes his ongoing stance that he wants to run as a Democrat all the more confusing. Especially given how he’s getting in line around people named in the Epstein Files. No wonder one conservative pundit once called him “a useful idiot.”

Then again, maybe confusing is the point. Smith wants us talking ourselves in circles about his intentions and possibilities, elevating him beyond the caricature of a screaming buffoon on television.

If that’s the playbook, it sure sounds familiar.