(DCNF)—ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith ruled out running for president as a Democrat in 2028 during a CNN appearance Sunday, citing dissatisfaction with the party’s current direction.
Smith said he’s keeping “all doors open” for a potential political run, despite admitting he hates the idea of becoming a politician. During an appearance on “State of the Union With Jake Tapper and Dana Bash,” Smith made it clear this week that a 2028 presidential bid under the Democratic banner is off the table, unless the party undergoes a major overhaul.
“You know what? I’m an independent. I’m a registered independent. I would lean, who leans left. I’m fiscally conservative when it comes to my money,” Smith told host Jake Tapper when asked if he’ll run under the Democratic Party. “I’m socially liberal. I’m liberal when it comes to social issues pretty much across the board. I believe in living and let living.”
While Smith acknowledged he might hypothetically run as a Democrat if forced to choose, he made clear that such a move is unlikely given the current trajectory of the party.
“So I’m a moderate, and I would say if I had to run, it would be as a Democrat, but I’m not happy with the Democratic Party. So the Democratic Party is presently constructed. It would pretty much need to be purged in order for me to assume that I would want to be associated with them and I would garner their support because I don’t like the way they’ve gone about doing a lot of things for a very, very long period of time,” Smith explained. “And I think that I don’t view Donald Trump as winning the election. I view the Democrats as losing the election, as absolutely positively blowing it with some of their actions.”
When asked what exactly the party has done to lose his support, Smith didn’t mince words.
“We know how they go about operating. We know what we lean towards when it came to open borders. We know that the spending was excessive, even though it’s excessive on the Republican side as well. I think a $37 trillion budget when Republicans try to act like it’s just the Democrats, that’s not true, but the Democrats certainly shouldn’t be absolved from blame in that regard,” Smith added.
Smith further criticized the party’s focus on identity politics, excessive government spending, and what he called the psychological damage caused by cancel culture and “woke” ideology.
“But certainly with identity politics, woke culture, cancer culture, I thought that that was something that ravaged our nation psychologically. Because you had people literally scared they were going to lose their jobs if they pronounce the wrong pronoun for crying out loud. It got that bad and I think that that’s one of the reasons that Donald Trump is in office today because so much stuff a lot is focused on the individual as opposed to actual policies itself,” Smith noted.
Since the 2024 election, Smith has repeatedly criticized the Democratic Party for its divisive rhetoric and failure to connect with average voters. Smith cast doubt on Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s viability in 2028, citing what he described as a lack of leadership in the state he governs.
Democrats have struggled to present a unifying message since their 2024 loss, with voters unsure who represents the party’s future. A March CNN/SSRS poll found that over 30% of Americans couldn’t name a Democrat who embodies the party’s core values.
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