ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith Seriously Considering Running For President

“Hate the thought of being a politician. But sick of this mess. So I’m officially leaving all doors open,” the sports pundit said on social media on Monday.

During his appearance at the NAB Show, Smith was asked about his political aspirations, and he admitted having “no desire” to enter that world.

“I’m living a pretty good life right now. Life’s been good. The last thing that I would want to do is involve myself in politics,” he said. “I’ve always perceived politicians as being professional beggars. I don’t say that derogatorily or anything like that. It’s just the reality. You’ve always got your hand out for something. People always need favors in return. I’m not that guy. So I could never see myself as a politician.”

Though Smith has regularly offered his takes on politics and current events, he’s previously shown antipathy toward running for office.

Back in February, after a poll came out suggesting a small percentage of voters favored Smith as their 2028 presidential candidate, he told Fox News’ Sean Hannity that the survey was “clear-cut evidence of how pathetic of a state of affairs that exists within the Democratic Party today.”

However, he said during his NAB appearance that he’s been forced to take the possibility of running for president more seriously in recent weeks after being approached by “people on Capitol Hill,” “elected officials” and “governors or mayors or what have you.”

“I have no desire to be a politician, but I’ve decided that I’m no longer going to close that door. I’m gonna keep my options open. I’m going to entertain the possibility,” he said. “If it comes in late 2026, 2027, where I look at this country and think it’s an absolute mess and there’s legitimate reason to believe … that I indeed have a legitimate shot to win the presidency of the United States. I am not going to rule it out.”

Although Smith has absolutely no political experience, a recent Rasmussen poll commissioned by sportswriter Pablo Torre showed the ESPN personality performing quite well when matched against politicians from across the political spectrum, including California Gov. Gavin Newsom, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and vice president JD Vance.