It’s been way too long since we had an update in the “Will Stephen A. Smith run for president?” storyline. Thankfully, the man himself is here to deliver with another mysterious insight into a potential political career.
Smith’s latest comments came in an interview with the Washington Post about his new weekly politics show with SiriusXM. The program entitled Straight Shooter with Stephen A. Smith will debut on September 17th on SiriusXM POTUS Radio and air live on Wednesday nights at 6 p.m. ET.
Much of the attention on Smith’s new radio gig has focused on his new daily sports show on Mad Dog Sports Radio. That opportunity did not come without controversy as Smith’s show was announced before the hosts he would replace, Michelle Beadle and Cody Decker, were informed. That led to some major cleanup from Smith as Beadle and Decker were quickly fired by the company after responding to their future demise live on the air.
But politics will also be a big part of Smith’s SiriusXM role, as it has been for the massive expansion of his personal media brand. Along with signing a new long-term contract at ESPN, Smith has also tried to cement himself as a tour de force in the political world. He’s made politics and pop culture a centerpiece of his personal podcast and made tons of appearances as a regular contributor on both Fox News (with buddy Sean Hannity) and NewsNation.
But the most startling element to his rise in the political realm is the surreal chatter around a potential run for president. In the wake of Donald Trump’s return to the White House, Smith’s name has continuously been floated as a possible outside-the-box candidate who could capture the zeitgeist in a way that Democrats have failed to do so over the past decade. With the Democratic Party in absolute shambles as a political institution, they seemingly can’t do any worse.
Earlier this year, Smith engaged in dizzying dances with the idea of a potential POTUS run. But all had gone quiet in recent months. Yet with the launch of his new political radio show, Smith swung the door open once again. In his own words, if the right people ask him to throw his hat into the ring and the crop of candidates is underwhelming, he will run for office. And that includes some possible divine intervention.
Q: Right now, where do you stand on the possibility of a run for president in 2028, something that has obviously generated a lot of discussion and speculation?
A: Same place I’ve always been. I have no desire to be a politician. I have no intentions on being a politician, but I left the door open, A, because friends and loved ones of mine have asked me to do so and, B, because if these candidates appear to be as atrocious as they’ve been and we don’t see a light at the end of the tunnel to go up against what the other side is throwing in our direction, then will I entertain it? Yeah, I’ll entertain it. … If somebody came to me and said, ‘Hey, we think you could pull it off,’ and they were convincing enough, I’d still probably say no, because I really, really like my life. And I like the life that I’m living, but I promised people that I care about very deeply that I wouldn’t rule it out. So I leave the door open because you never know what God has planned for you.
In the same interview, Smith calls himself a “centrist,” who is both pro-life and pro-choice. Given some of his complimentary comments towards Donald Trump and his strange take diminishing the Epstein Files, Smith may not have the same political clout that he did several months ago, especially as a prospective Democratic nominee. “Maybe I should have voted for Trump” is probably not a winning message in a primary race.
But his comments are a masterful way of playing both sides. It’s the political equivalent of picking one team to win and the other team not to lose. Instead of giving a definitive answer, he is more than happy to see how it all plays out while trying to grow his own clout and influence. Ultimately, it seems like Stephen A. Smith is keeping the door open for a POTUS run in the name of content and to stay relevant in the political world. Maybe he would make for a great politician some day.
About Matt Yoder