Stephen A. Smith Announces Final Decision on 2028 Presidential Run
ESPN commentator Stephen A. Smith said he has made his final decision on whether to run for president in 2028.
The sports speaker has been hinting for at least two years about a possible run for the White House as a Democrat. But now he says he’s out for 2028.
Smith revealed his final decision on the Date Sean Hannity podcast, which goes live Tuesday, after Hannity said he doubted Smith would run for the Democratic nomination.
The ESPN speaker then admitted that 2028 is probably over for him.
“I’m not thinking about running either because I have to give up my money,” Smith said in a clip from the podcast Monday.
“Let me put presidential aspirations aside. If I have to give up my money, it’s not going to happen,” said Smith, who earns nearly $40 million a year.
Smith increasingly tends to make policy statements and recommendations on his Straight Shooter with Stephen A show on Sirius X’s POTUS channel. He has also made no secret of his views on politics in countless interviews over the past few years.
His steady stream of political meanderings sparked rumors that he intended to enter the presidential race in 2024. When that didn’t happen, speculation turned to his possible 2028 run.
Indeed, last month he said CBS Sunday Morning that he had not ruled out a candidacy for the presidency in 2028.
“So when someone talks about me being president or whatever, I have no desire to be a politician, zero. … I have no desire to run for office,” Smith said before adding that he “doesn’t rule it out because I would like to be on the debate stage against some of these individuals who think they are better suited to lead the country. Because I think the American people deserve to listen and hear from someone who really cares about improving their life rather than his own.”
In March of last year, he also insisted that if he ran, he could beat any candidate Democrats or Republicans presented to him.
“I think the citizens, especially on the left, are desperate, and I mean it when I say it: I think I can beat them all,” Smith told the ABC talk show host. The view. “And I have no desire to run for office. I’m not a politician. I’m not qualified, but I still know. When you consider who’s on the other side and how he gets away with saying very little in terms of consistency and articulating his thoughts clearly and concisely, etc., that’s not something he’s known for doing. Yet still, he’s owned the Republican Party since 2015; not only did he win, but Republican voters said we don’t want anyone but him.
Smith then told Hannity that there are three people he thinks are good presidential candidates for 2028. Those possible candidates are Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shaprio and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
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