While you might find someone who could challenge Stephen A. Smith in a presidential election, beating him in a debate would be a much tougher task. Bomani Jones recently appeared on CNN Saturday Morning Table for Five. During the show, CNN aired a clip of Smith calling it an “indictment” of the Democratic Party that he’s gaining actual momentum as a presidential candidate, leading host Abby Phillip to inquire, “why not?” about the possibility of Smith running in 2028.
“Bless the hearts of anybody that tries to get on television and argue with that man about anything. I’m telling you right now, you are probably going to lose.” – Bomani Jones on Stephen A. Smith’s political interests pic.twitter.com/cekWZIFBXn
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) February 24, 2025
Jones acknowledged, “To be fair to him and everybody else at this point, if I’m Stephen A. Smith and I look around, ‘why not me?’ does seem like a fair question. That is an indictment not just of the Democrats, but of everything much broader. But bless the hearts of anybody who tries to argue with that man on television. I’m telling you right now, you are probably going to lose. I might not lose, but you’re gonna lose.” Ultimately, that’s what many hope for—seeing him on the debate stage, which is exactly what Smith desires. Sean Hannity has already felt the impact of Smith on Fox News, but the First Take host aspires to have his moment on the debate stage with political figures and presidential candidates.
Although Smith is reluctant to take on the responsibilities of a politician or face a potential pay cut, there are genuine voices urging him to run, believing he has the charisma and boldness to reinvigorate the Democratic Party. Jones remains unfazed by Smith’s political ambitions. He might not have envisioned the White House in Smith’s future, but during an appearance on the Awful Announcing Podcast two years ago, Jones expressed that he would be more surprised if Smith did not eventually seek office, considering the scale of his growing fame.
