Stephen A. Smith teases 2028 presidential run

Sports commentator Stephen A. Smith said he’s not ruling out a 2028 presidential campaign.

In an interview with CBS News’ Robert Costa, set to air Sunday, Mr. Smith said, “So when somebody talks about me being a president or whatever, I have no desire to be a politician, zero. … I have no desire to run for office.”

But he is “not ruling it out because I’d love to be on the debate stages against some of these individuals that think they’re better suited to run the country. Because I think that the American people deserve to listen to and hear from somebody who genuinely cares about making life better for them instead of yourself.”

Mr. Costa wrote on social media that Mr. Smith is “moving closer to a 2028 campaign,” adding that the interview was reminiscent of his time with Donald Trump in 2013 and 2014, when many people saw a campaign as far-fetched before he won the presidency in 2016.

Mr. Smith, an ESPN and SiriusXM commentator, has often teased the idea of running for the White House. He said in November that he wants to have a “profound impact on who the next president is going to be.” 

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

The aggressive sports analyst said he considers himself a fiscal conservative and a social liberal, and if he were to run for office, he would run as a Democrat.

He said that he “couldn’t see myself running as a member of the GOP. I’m a fiscal conservative,” adding that he cannot “stand” high taxes and is a supporter of “strong borders.”

“That’s absolutely true. We never needed open borders, but we don’t need it to be completely closed either. We are a gorgeous mosaic,” he said.

He said he’s a “social liberal in the same breath because I believe in living and let live. I pay attention to the desolate and disenfranchised.”

If Mr. Smith does run, he could be up against high-profile names like California Gov. Gavin Newsom in a potentially crowded Democratic primary.

“I respect all of them in terms of the intellect, in terms of where their heart lies, in terms of the service that they want to provide to this country. But ultimately, your actions speak louder than anything,” he said. “Gavin Newsom is somebody that I think has tremendous potential if he moves towards the center. But ultimately, affordability, with taxes in the state of California, the homelessness, the crime, he’s going to have to answer those questions.”

Aside from sports, Mr. Smith hosts a weekly political show in which he interviews government leaders.

He has publicly aired his disdain for the “chaos” in today’s politics, previously stating that he believes Mr. Trump is “blowing it” for the GOP, which could cost Republicans the November midterms and the White House in 2028.