Sports commentator Stephen A. Smith has made his political ambitions clear: only the presidency will do. In a Sunday interview on CNN's State of the Union, Smith told host Kasie Hunt that he has zero interest in being anyone's number two. “I’m not interested in being no vice president. I’m not interested in being number two,” he said, when asked about joining a presidential ticket as a running mate.
Smith went further, ruling out a Senate seat as well. “I’m not interested in being the head of the Senate just to break a tie or to give speeches,” he added. “If I were to do something like that, it would be for the big job. It would be for the presidency of the United States of America or nothing. I’m not trying to be number two at anything I do.”
This isn’t the first time Smith has floated a White House run. He has teased the idea repeatedly over the past year. But in a March interview with Fox News’s Sean Hannity, he poured cold water on the prospect, citing the financial sacrifice. “I think it’s all bulls—t,” Hannity told him. “I don’t think you’re running. Am I right?” Smith replied, “I don’t think I’m running either, because I got to give up my money. Yeah, I ain’t giving up my money, Sean.”
Despite that earlier skepticism, Smith on Sunday indicated he would run as a Democrat, framing his candidacy as a corrective force. “I would be running as a Democrat, because I think the Democratic Party is in shambles right now, because I think it’s leaned too far left,” he said. “And I think that it needs to come a bit closer to the center, so we can come across as a bit more sensible.”
Smith’s potential entry into the 2028 presidential field would mark another high-profile celebrity crossing into politics in the Trump era. His brash, media-savvy style echoes the former president’s own playbook, though Smith is positioning himself as a centrist Democrat rather than a populist Republican.
The sports commentator’s remarks come amid a broader political landscape where celebrity candidates have become increasingly common. Smith’s candidacy would likely draw comparisons to other media figures who have sought office, though he insists he would only accept the top job. For now, his flirtation with a run remains just that—but his Sunday comments suggest the door is far from closed.
