Stephen A. Smith has said the USA’s ‘joke’ of a two-party system could drive him to run for president, with the ESPN personality saying ‘something needs to be done.’
Smith, who spoke exclusively to DailyMail.com about his potential entry into politics, has flip-flopped when it comes to a career in public office, previously saying he has ‘no desire’ to run for president.
However, Smith has also said he would consider running for president if he had a ‘legitimate, bonafide shot to win,’ and outlined on his eponymous show what he’d want to change if given the chance.
‘Let me tell you why [I would consider running]. Because I think our system sucks,’ he said, via Awful Announcing. ‘I think the binary system where we have to choose between the Democrats and the Republicans is a joke.
‘I think it dissuades the vast majority of American citizens from wanting to be a part of the political process. And I think that something needs to be done about it in order to bring America back to where it should have always been.’
Smith, who has also branded President Donald Trump a ‘pain in the a**’ (though he agreed with his executive order banning transgender women from women’s sports), previously told DailyMail.com that he could ‘beat every candidate’ if he chose to run.
Stephen A. Smith branded the United States’ two-party system a ‘joke’ that needs to be fixed
The ESPN star branded Donald Trump ‘a pain in the a**’ but agreed with some of his policies
‘Every candidate that they mentioned [on a recent poll], from Kamala Harris right on down to (Pete) Buttigieg and to Tim Walz. I’d beat all of them. I do believe that. I really do,’ he said.
Smith’s claims come after John McLaughlin – who was Trump’s chief pollster – held a national survey of 1,000 general election voters last month.
The popular sports analyst polled at two percent – more than the likes of Beto O’Rourke – who ran for the nomination in 2020 – and JB Pritzker, the governor of Illinois (both one percent).
Nonetheless, Smith reiterated on the latest episode of his show that he has ‘no intentions of running for the presidency of the United States of America.’
‘I do not believe I am an aficionado. I do not believe that my pockets are deep enough for me to ignore the financial strain that could potentially have on me because, obviously, I earn more than the President of the United States right now. He makes about $400,000 a year… Needless to say, I make more money than that. So, I’m not really interested on that level,’ he continued.
Smith, though – as he has said before – conceded that he would ponder a presidential run if he ‘knew I had a really, really good shot to win.’
The 57-year-old’s flirtation with politics has even caught the attention of at least one leader in Washington DC, as House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries admitted there is ‘a lot to like’ about him.
