ESPN host Stephen A. Smith says he would be U.S. president as long as he doesn’t have to campaign

Outspoken ESPN personality Stephen A. Smith is not ruling out a presidential run in his future.

In an interview with CNBC Sport, Smith said, “I wouldn’t mind being in office.”

Yet, the popular television host said it is the campaigning and being a politician that turns him off.

“I’m not one of those dudes that’s great at shaking hands and kissing babies, per se, and currying favor with politicians and donors. I’m not a beggar. That’s not who I am,” Smith told CNBC Sport.

However, the 57-year-old Bronx native said he believes if he could bypass the campaigning, he would excel on television in a presidential debate.

“If you tell me that I could catapult to the White House, and I could be in a position to affect millions upon millions of lives, not just in America, but the world over, yeah, that’s something that I would entertain,” he said.

The “First Take” host has said that he voted for Democratic nominee Kamala Harris in the 2024 election, telling Bill Maher he feels like a “damn fool” now for doing so.

In a recent poll by McLaughlin & Associates, 2% of voters said they would vote for Smith in the 2028 presidential election.