After President Donald Trump recently praised Stephen A. Smith’s possible 2028 run for president, Smith confidently doubled down on his interest in potentially taking on the White House.
While appearing on CNN’s “State of the Union” Sunday, host Jake Tapper asked the sportscaster what he would say to critics who point out he has “no political experience” needed for the role.
“Are you really prepared to be president of the United States?” Tapper questioned Smith.
“I would say that they’re absolutely right. I’m not prepared, I’m not qualified. I have no political history whatsoever. I’ve never been interested in politics a day in my life,” the ESPN sports analyst replied before adding, “You never know what God has planned for you.”
Despite admitting to not being qualified, Smith said people are itching for him to use his voice to serve, telling Tapper that he’s been approached by elected officials and others who’ve asked him to seriously consider running as a 2028 contender.
“I think the kind of impact that I could have as a centrist, as a moderate, as somebody who believes in being sensical and engaging in common sense,” he explained. “Unfortunately, I believe that if I did take this very, very seriously, and I moved forward, and I decided that I wanted to be a politician, do I believe I could win? You’re damn right.”
Smith, who shared in a previous video that he’s “an independent,” said that he’s convinced he could win due to the current “state of our politics,” claiming Americans “don’t believe for one second” that politicians are truly “serving the interests” of the people.
“It’s because of the state of our politics in the nation’s capital, the politicians that we’re looking at and the fact that we don’t believe for one second that they are serving the interests of the American people, nor are they interested in it,” he said.
Smith added: “People look at me and they know one thing, I would be interested in serving the American people and doing what’s in the best interest of this country.”
Last week, Trump said he would “love to see” Smith make a bid for the White House.
“I love watching him. He’s got great entertainment skills, which is very important. People watch him,” Trump said while calling into a NewsNation town hall on April 30. “I’ve been pretty good at picking people and picking candidates, and I will tell you, I’d love to see him run.”
Back in early April, Smith declared on social media that he is “officially leaving all doors open” for a potential run.
“Time to stop messing around. Life is great. Especially at ESPN/Disney,” he wrote. “Hate the thought of being a politician. But sick of this mess.
The TV personality added: “So I’m officially leaving all doors open.”
Watch Smith’s appearance on “State of the Union” below.