Stephen A. Smith has played up his interest in pursuing a presidential campaign over the last few months. But interestingly, there is one position that Smith covets even more than becoming the President of the United States.
On the most recent edition of his podcast, The Stephen A. Smith Show, Smith discussed recently being endorsed by Donald Trump.
While he was flattered by the support, he largely downplayed his interest in actually running, instead declaring that his true aspiration is to be in a position like Joe Rogan, who, of course, interviewed both Trump and J.D. Vance prior to the 2024 election.
“Here is my aspiration,” said Smith. “And I want my team, not just you out there, to listen to what I have to say. Because I am very, very serious about this. If there was a position I clamor for more than anything in the world, it’s the position Joe Rogan was in leading up to the election. Kamala Harris should have gone to visit him. Donald Trump did. And there is a lot of people who have speculated that that is a huge reason Donald Trump won the election. I don’t know whether that is true or not. But would I desire people talking about me having that kind of impact? You are damn right I would.
“It is my hope that everybody in Capitol Hill knows that I am one of the people they have to come through en route to their aspirations for higher office. Because I have news for you, I’m not going anywhere. I’m gonna stay in their ass every chance I get. Because I am sick of what they have done for the American people. When they say we are divided more than ever before, I blame Capitol Hill. You engage in division and dissension in order to buffer yourself. You have this two-party system, and we’ve got to pick which is the worst devil? One side or the other.”
Smith recently said that ESPN had given him free rein to discuss politics in any way that he pleases. So, one day, maybe Smith will have the kind of platform that both the Republican and Democratic parties believe is a requirement to reach before the next election.
Either way, it sure sounds like Smith is more interested in talking politics than being involved in them. However, it seems that Smith is alson’t fully ready to let the idea of a presidential campaign go, which he also discussed on his podcast on Friday.
“I just want to reiterate the points that I am making,” said Smith. “And I hope that y’all can understand where I’m coming from. I kept the door open for a potential run because elected officials and my own pastor said ‘You don’t know what god has planned for you. You don’t know what life is gonna be like two years down the road. At least show respect and courtesy to the people who support you in such a venture by saying that you’ll leave the door open to any possibilities two years down the road.’ Because you just don’t know. So that’s why I said I’ll leave the door open.”