Stephen A. Smith for President 2028? Don’t laugh. Stranger things have happened.
On Wednesday it was announced that Donald Trump will become the 47th president of the United States, and ESPN talking head Stephen A. Smith, who has gone from a beat reporter to the biggest name at the 24-hour sports and entertainment giant, might be contemplating his own run at the 2028 Presidential seat.
With Trump going from businessman to reality TV star to the nation’s highest political office, Smith, who recently appeared on “The View” and was asked whether he would ever consider running for president might have surprised some people with his answer.
He definitely is not too humbled by the thought.
Will Sports Media Icon Stephen A. Smith Run For President In 2028?
“If you came to me and you told me I had a legitimate shot to win the presidency of the United States of America, I would definitely consider it,” Smith said.
“I wish I could debate some of these guys. I’d love to be on the debate stage going up against these guys with the presidency on the line,” he continued.
Smith doesn’t have an extensive political background. Earlier in his career, when Smith was in between TV gigs, he was doing some political hits here and there on cable networks, but that was short-lived as he returned to the sports debate forum whenever an opportunity opened up.
He did appear on CNN 13 years ago when Obama was running for re-election to express some negative opinions about the Democratic party that seems to strike a chord with Black people around every election.
Smith Said Democratic Party Takes Black Vote For Granted
Smith said that “The Democratic Party has taken the Black vote for granted for quite some time.” Then suggested that Black people should play hard to get when it comes to re-electing Barrack Obama and not just do it because he’s Black. It’s a train of thought that got Joe Biden in trouble early in his campaign, when he told Black people that if they don’t vote for him, then “you’re not Black.”
So, Smith has political opinions, and he can go in that bag if necessary.
One can’t help but to see similarities between Trump and Smith as far as their charisma, loud personality, effect on people and unfiltered opinions that are great for shock value.
If entertainment is what the country wants in a president, then take Smith’s comments seriously. He already has an historic media following and has given his opinion on social issues for years on his sports platforms. He hasn’t been afraid to criticize coaches, billionaires or United States presidents.
He wouldn’t lack passion, ideas or people willing to give his vision a chance. At this point moving forward the formula for becoming a U.S presidential candidate is wide open, and people seem to want entertainment to be a part of the president’s qualifications list.
If Smith did gain enough momentum to run it would probably be on the Democratic ticket, although he’s been known to reach across the table when debating issues of race and social justice.
However, even if he received a lot of support, he would undoubtedly be met with backlash.
There are some people who would tell Stephen A. Smith to stick to sports and stay out of politics. It’s too ambitious and egotistical.
Sports Show Host Doug Gottlieb Says Stephen A. Smith Is Bad For Business
Doug Gottlieb is one of those people. This week, after officially making his head coaching debut for his alma mater Wisconsin-Green Bay, Gottlieb also a radio and TV personality, was a guest on “The Main Event with Andrew Marchand” and told us why he thinks Smith’s fame has detracted from the quality of his game as an analyst and debater.
“Stephen A.’s become a little bit too big for his britches,” Doug Gottlieb said at one point in the conversation. “I think a lot of those are artificial arguments. I respect how strong an orator he is, how strong a personality he is and the fact he’ll bring his ‘Stephen A.’ to everything he does. But I also think there’s a level of preparedness that is missing or a level of realness that’s missing and that’s why I say those arguments are artificial.”
Gottlieb went as far as to suggest that Stephen A. Smith’s success has watered down the game and forced knowledgeable and sharp analysts and talking heads who are attuned with the game to dumb down their arguments to fit into a commercialized package of pure opinion.
“And that disappoints me,” Gottlieb added. “Because I think there’s a lot of talented people out there that are getting opportunities. But they’re not really giving the depth of what they know. Instead, they’re just making top level arguments, which is clearly barbershop stuff. And I don’t think you should settle for that level.”
Smith’s voice has gotten powerful in the media industry, and he’s gone head up with everybody from NBA stars to owners, to sports legends, popular political commentators, even his own colleagues.
Stephen A. Smith for president 2028? Don’t laugh. Stranger things have happened.
