If you haven’t yet warmed to the idea of Stephen A. Smith for president being anything more than some inane banter, maybe now is the time.
Smith probably won’t be the next President of the United States. He might not even run in 2028, 2032 or thereafter. But the burgeoning concept of Stephen A. Smith entering the Democratic presidential primary and even winning the nomination is no longer a laughing talking point that gets brought up on First Take in jest. Because the more Smith seems to tease the idea, the more people appear to be calling for him to take it seriously.
The New Yorker’s Jay Caspian Kang is the latest to place stock in the idea of Stephen A. Smith for president, speaking to the ESPN personality about his political interests.
“They need to cleanse the Democratic Party as we know it,” Smith told Kang, believing the party has been too steadfast in abiding by failed ideas. “The Republicans said, ‘We want Donald Trump.’ They’ve been that way for ten years now. The Democrats say, ‘It’s Hillary’s turn, now it’s Biden’s turn, now it’s Kamala Harris’s turn.’”
Smith told Kang the succession of candidates ignored voters calling for the party to abandon some of its failed ideas and practices.
“Woke culture and cancel culture ravaged the country,” Smith added. “The Democrats were way more focused on that than the economy, immigration, and crime.”
Smith has long said if he runs for president, it will be as an Independent, not wanting to be bought by a political party. But the more Smith talks about the need for change in the Democratic Party, the more it seems like he’s warming to the idea of entering their primary. Last week, after a 2028 primary poll placed Smith one point behind former VP candidate Tim Walz and current Pennsylvania governor, Josh Shapiro, Smith boldly told Sean Hannity that he can beat any Democratic candidate.
“I’m qualified to be a hell-raiser,” Smith told The New Yorker. “I’m going to bring the rain. Nobody is safe with me. Not a Democrat. Not a Republican. No one.”
For now, Smith seems to think he can be that hell-raiser through his YouTube show and by making frequent appearances on CNN, Fox News, NewsNation or MSNBC. But the calls for him to do something more tangible in politics are becoming louder. And if Democratic leaders are complimenting Smith, and his own ego is telling him he can win, maybe it’s only a matter of time before Stephen A. Smith for president becomes a reality.
