No one is more excited about Stephen A. Smith running for president than Republicans

Last week, when Stephen A. Smith reignited the conversation about his potential run for President of the United States in 2028, I wrote that no one wanted it except Smith himself.

I was wrong. It’s become pretty clear that the group of people most excited about Smith potentially running as a Democrat is Republicans.

This isn’t a new phenomenon. As Smith hemmed and hawed his way through 2025, threatening to throw his hat in the Democratic ring for the presidency, the only interest appeared to come from Smith’s conservative buddies, like Fox News’ Sean Hannity, conservative-leaning commentators like Dan Dakich, and even President Donald Trump, who endorsed Smith’s candidacy.

“He’s been brilliant,” Dakich told Barrett Media in December. “He’s become a useful idiot for the Republican Party and has become a guy that has figured out how to appease the Democratic Party.”

Those kinds of sentiments have been top of mind since Smith soft-launched his second pre-presidential campaign.

Bill O’Reilly and Smith joined Chris Cuomo on NewsNation’s Cuomo, and the longtime conservative firebrand emphatically encouraged the ESPN host to run for president.

“I think he should run,” O’Reilly said. “And I’m being serious now. (Donald) Trump opened the door for you. You should send Trump a big bouquet of flowers.”

While O’Reilly admitted that he thought Smith was unlikely to win in 2028, he wants to see him on the debate stage against Democratic candidates.

“You’re exposing the charlatans, which would be an amazing historical achievement,” he shared.

Smith responded that if he runs, he will only do so if he thinks he can win.

“Bill, I don’t play to lose,” Smith said. “If I decide to run, it’s because I intend to win. It ain’t to make noise just to expose the charlatans. It’s to win. And if I decide to do it, I’m telling you I intend to win. Make no mistake about it. I won’t do it unless I believe I have a legitimate shot to win the presidency.”

Combining that interview with the one Smith did on The Paul Finebaum Show earlier in the week essentially gives the game away.

“Whereas I have no desire to be an elected official, I would actually love to be on the debate stage, going up against these people,” Smith told a chuckling Finebaum, who recently considered leaving ESPN himself to run for the U.S. Senate as a Republican.

For Smith, it’s just about elevating his status and brand, which is ultimately way more aligned with conservative values than liberal ones, regardless of what he claims (which is fine, but honesty always goes a long way). The company you keep tells a louder story than anything Smith can yell on First Take, his podcast, radio show, or debate stage. And the further Smith digs in, the more likely it is that they’ll be the ones to shower him with praise and appreciation.

“He’s a threat,” Former ESPN colleague Jemele Hill said of the First Take host this week, adding that powerful donors on both sides will like Smith’s fame and ability to work the media, “and if it means undermining the Democrats, you best believe a lot of Republicans will get behind Stephen A.”

Seems like they already are.