Picture this: Stephen A. Smith, fresh off another heated ‘First Take’ conversation loaded with viral soundbites and meme-worthy takes, looks directly into the camera and blurts, “I have no choice but to run for president.” It is the kind of move literally nobody asked for, and Black Twitter is letting him know just that.
During the ABC News ‘This Week’ episode, Smith shared that billionaires, pundits, and others have cornered him into considering a presidential election. “But here’s the reality: Literally, people have walked up to me, including my own pastor, for crying out loud, who has said to me, ‘you don’t know what God has planned for you,’” he said.
“I’ve had folks that got a lot of money, billionaires, and others who have talked to me about exploratory committees and things of that nature. I’m not a politician. I’ve never had a desire to be a politician,” he explained.
Smith, 57, made headlines when he said he was leaving the door open for a presidential run in the 2028 election. The host of his eponymous ESPN show has been a vocal critic of the Democratic Party since their devastating loss in last November’s election.
During his shows, you can always count on Smith — never one to hold back — airing his thoughts on how he believes the party has fumbled while the nation watched.
Smith pointed out how the Democratic Party overlooked Trump’s plan while his intentions were blatantly clear. “The way people decry his strategy, he’s been bloviating about that,” he shared. “They said nothing about it, as he voices his thoughts on the Democratic Party’s missteps in the 2024 election.”
“Instead, they talked about everything from woke culture and cancel culture to abortion rights and all of this other stuff,” he added.
Much like the internet’s reaction to Kanye West’s presidential ambitions, social media wasted no time turning Smith every way but loose. One commenter shared, “This is absurd and embarrassing. We are not a serious country.”
Another person wrote, “This is the same man who tapped danced for Trump, saying Black people relate to him because he’s a felon.”