{"id":349402,"date":"2026-04-04T16:21:56","date_gmt":"2026-04-04T21:21:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.etrafficlane.com\/60dollarmiracle\/stephen-a-smith-says-he-isnt-running-for-president-he-just-thinks-hed-beat-everyone-who-is"},"modified":"2026-04-04T16:22:01","modified_gmt":"2026-04-04T21:22:01","slug":"stephen-a-smith-says-he-isnt-running-for-president-he-just-thinks-hed-beat-everyone-who-is","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.etrafficlane.com\/60dollarmiracle\/stephen-a-smith-says-he-isnt-running-for-president-he-just-thinks-hed-beat-everyone-who-is","title":{"rendered":"Stephen A. Smith Says He Is not Operating for President. He Simply Thinks He’d Beat Everybody Who Is"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>\n

\n

Stephen A. Smith<\/strong> wants everyone to know he is not running for president.<\/p>\n

He also wants everyone to know he would beat Gavin Newsom in a debate. And Kamala Harris. And, in his words, \u201cmost of the Democratic Party.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDo I believe I would take Gavin Newsom out? Yes, I do,\u201d Smith said recently on his show. \u201cDo I believe I would go against Kamala and beat her? Yes, I do. I think I\u2019d beat most of the Democratic Party because there\u2019s too much dancing and I don\u2019t dance.\u201d<\/p>\n

This is a man who, less than a month earlier, went on Sean Hannity\u2019s podcast and told the country to put his presidential aspirations \u201cto bed.\u201d<\/p>\n

He was very clear about why.<\/p>\n

\n

\ud83d\udea8NEW: Stephen A. Smith: \u201cDo I believe I would take Gavin Newsom out? Yes, I do. Do I believe I would go against Kamala and beat her? Yes, I do.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI think I\u2019d beat MOST of the Democratic Party. Because there\u2019s too much dancing \u2014 and I don\u2019t dance.\u201d @DailyCaller<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/7S87P7ZEPM<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Jason Cohen \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8 (@JasonJournoDC) April 3, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

The Year Nobody Could Get a Straight Answer<\/h2>\n

The tease started in April 2025, when Smith told ABC News he had \u201cno choice\u201d but to consider a presidential run. He said elected officials had approached him. Billionaires had talked to him about exploratory committees. His own pastor had told him he didn\u2019t know what God had planned for him.<\/p>\n

Two months later, he sat across from Jon Stewart on The Daily Show and said the opposite. He had no desire to be an elected official. His talents were in commentary, not governance.<\/p>\n

By August, he was back on the fence. On Real Time with Bill Maher, he said he couldn\u2019t imagine running for president \u2014 but hadn\u2019t ruled it out either, because he was \u201cdisgusted with what I\u2019m seeing on the left.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"American\"informal
Image credit: @RealTime\/YouTube<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In between, he launched a political talk show on SiriusXM called Straight Shooter with Stephen A. He made regular appearances on Fox News and NewsNation. He agreed with Elon Musk on social media about forming a centrist party. He told The Hill he wanted to be \u201ca place you\u2019re going to have to come through\u201d if you were running for president.<\/p>\n

A January poll found he had the potential backing of 2 percent of Democratic voters.<\/p>\n

By February 2026, Smith told CBS he was giving \u201cstrong consideration\u201d to a run and planned to spend the year studying. Then, in March, it was over.<\/p>\n

The $100 Million Answer<\/h2>\n

Smith appeared on Hannity\u2019s Hang Out podcast, and the host cut straight to it. He didn\u2019t think Smith was actually running.<\/p>\n

Smith agreed. He didn\u2019t think so either.<\/p>\n

The reason wasn\u2019t that he felt unqualified \u2014 he\u2019d already acknowledged he was \u201cwoefully unqualified\u201d months earlier and it hadn\u2019t slowed him down. The reason was his ESPN contract.<\/p>\n

Smith signed a five-year extension with ESPN in March 2025, reported to be worth at least $100 million \u2014 roughly $20 million a year. Running for office would mean giving that up, and Smith was not interested in giving that up.<\/p>\n

\u201cLet me put the presidential aspirations to bed,\u201d he told Hannity. \u201cIf I have to give up my money, it\u2019s not happening.\u201d<\/p>\n

The presidential salary is $400,000 a year.<\/p>\n

The Bed Is Unmade<\/h2>\n

Within weeks of that declaration, Smith was back on his show doing something that looked nothing like a man who\u2019d moved on.<\/p>\n

He broke down Nick Fuentes \u2014 the far-right extremist and white nationalist \u2014 turning against Donald Trump. Not as a passing reference. As a full segment of political analysis, pulling from the American Jewish Committee\u2019s description of Fuentes, parsing what the fracture meant for the Republican base, and arriving at a strategic conclusion for Democrats.<\/p>\n

\n

Stephen A. Smith reacts to Nick Fuentes saying he\u2019s voting Democrat to get back at Trump. pic.twitter.com\/XGs7aoCu9K<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 KaizerRev (@Kaizerrev) April 4, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

That conclusion: do nothing. Sit back. \u201cThe more he talks, the more he alienates his base,\u201d Smith said of Trump. \u201cAnd without his base, he stands no chance.\u201d<\/p>\n

This was not casual sports-desk commentary. This was detailed political strategy from a man who said he planned to spend the year studying the landscape.<\/p>\n

And then came the debate challenge. Newsom wouldn\u2019t beat him. Harris wouldn\u2019t beat him. The whole Democratic Party dances too much. He doesn\u2019t dance.<\/p>\n

He is not running. He just thinks he would win.<\/p>\n

The Brand That Won\u2019t Sit Down<\/h2>\n

His ESPN deal was specifically structured to allow him to \u201cfan out across politics and news,\u201d according to his agent. The network called him \u201ca difference maker.\u201d His agent called him \u201cpolarizing, which has been good for business.\u201d<\/p>\n

In a little over twelve months, Stephen A. Smith has said he has no desire to run for office, that he has no choice but to consider running, that he can\u2019t imagine running, that he hasn\u2019t ruled it out, that he\u2019s giving it strong consideration, that it\u2019s officially off the table, and that he would beat the likely Democratic frontrunner in a debate.<\/p>\n

The only consistent position is the $100 million one.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n