Stephen A. Smith considering presidential bid: 'You don't know what God has planned'

With the 2028 presidential election still over two years away, outspoken sports commentator Stephen A. Smith is not ruling out a run for president, pointing to encouragement from his pastor, A.R. Bernard. 

In an appearance on “The Paul Finebaum Show” on Monday, Smith indicated that he was “leaving the door open” to a presidential run in 2028.

“I just hate the way things look,” he said. “I hate the way that things are, and I think that there needs to be some common sense brought to the equation.”

“I have no desire to be a politician, especially when I was informed I’d have to give up my money in order to do it,” Smith stressed.

Despite his reservations about throwing his hat in the ring, Smith credits Bernard of The Christian Cultural Center in Brooklyn, New York, for encouraging him to consider a run. Smith detailed how Bernard told him, “You owe it to … your supporters to leave the door open."

“You don’t know what God has planned for you for the next year or so," Smith quoted Bernard as saying. 

Smith said Bernard told him to “leave the door open” because “you know how passionate you are about some of these issues.”

“I think about it from that standpoint, and I say ‘what’s the harm?’” Smith said. 

Smith identified his qualifications and priorities as “common sense,” “having a passion to see the country be better” and “reminding people what the definition of … compromise really means.”

He criticized the current political climate, saying “things are so polarizing and so belligerent and so childish at times."

“There needs to be a fresh face brought to the equation with somebody that knows how to operate with decorum, with professionalism, with class, understanding that the sanctity of the office matters," Smith continued. 

“I think all of those things are incredibly important, and I think that right now, we’re so divided, that, to me, why not leave the door open for that possibility?” 

Smith stressed that he has "no desire to be an elected official" but would "love to be on the debate stage going up against these people" he believes have done a "disservice to our country by conducting themselves the way that they’ve conducted themselves and dividing us the way that we are.” 

“I think that if we talk to one another, we find out as Americans that we have far more in common than we do differences. But it’s hard to get to that point in a binary system where it forces you to pick one side or the other, and both sides are so busy … denigrating one another that you can’t imagine defending the side that you don’t agree with or you don’t support because of the vitriol that’s exchanged."

"I think that needs to come to an end," he stressed. "And I think that somebody like me definitely would bring attention to it.” 

Smith personally believes that he "could beat anybody."

“I could beat anybody that’s in line to run in for the highest office in the land because I think that they’re so polarizing with one another, they don’t talk enough about bringing folks together, and they don’t make sure that people understand the real significance of authenticity," he said. 

The commentator characterized himself as a “moderate” who “leans right fiscally and leans left with social issues.” He highlighted areas where he agreed with President Donald Trump, expressing support for his efforts to secure the border. He also took issue with efforts to “defund the police” and the embrace of socialism in the Democratic Party. 

Smith did not state whether he would seek the Democratic or Republican nomination for president or run as a third-party candidate. In 2028, Trump will be ineligible to seek a third term in office due to term limits. 

The RealClearPolitics average of polls asking Democratic presidential primary voters which candidates they support shows 2024 Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris in the lead with 30.5% support followed by California Gov. Gavin Newsom at 21.5%, former Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg at 8.6%, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., at 7.5%, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro at 5.7%, Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., at 4.7%, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker at 4.0% and Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., at 4.0%. 

Meanwhile, the RealClearPolitics average of polls sampling Republican primary voters’ preferences for the 2028 presidential election shows Vice President JD Vance as the clear frontrunner. Vance has 44.6% support followed by Donald Trump Jr. (15.5%), Secretary of State Marco Rubio (8.4%), Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (7.5%), Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (4.0%), political commentator Tucker Carlson (3.5%), former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley (3.3%) and Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas (2.3%).

Last year, during an interview on ABC’s “This Week,” Smith discussed how, regarding a potential presidential run, Bernard and others had told him to "at least show the respect to the people who believe in you, respect you, believe that you can make a difference in this country to leave the door open for any possibilities two or three years down the line.”