Stephen A. Smith once again says he would ‘strongly consider’ running for president

Would Skip Bayless be his vice president? 

Stephen A. Smith doubled down on Tuesday after he said on a radio show that he would “strongly consider” running for president — yes, of the United States — if voters were clamoring for it. 

“I said, ‘If the American people wanted me to run for the presidency of the United States of America, I would strongly consider it,’” Smith recounted on ESPN’s First Take on Tuesday. “And damn it, I mean it.”

He’s running pic.twitter.com/2kSJzovDpE

— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) August 30, 2022

Smith originally expressed interest in a potential presidential run on college football analyst Paul Finebaum’s radio show. 

“If I thought I could win, yes,” Smith said last week when Finebaum asked if he would consider running for the nation’s highest office. “I would’ve told you, ‘Hell no, no way in hell’ years ago. I was a father out of wedlock. Obviously, when you think about the standards that were once held in the White House, I’m pretty damn good, but I’m not perfect. Those imperfections, obviously, would be highlighted when 350 [million] American citizens rely on you to institute and implement policy that would affect their lives. 

“But when I see some of the things that have transpired, I can honestly tell you … if enough people came to me and said, ‘Stephen A., you have a legitimate shot to win the presidency of the United States of America,’ I would strongly consider running.”

Smith’s comments, naturally, went viral on Twitter. But it wasn’t the first time he’s talked about running for office.

Earlier this year, Smith said on J.J. Reddick’s podcast that he was approached 10 years ago by then-Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell about running for the Senate. 

“One time I was approached by Gov. Ed Rendell in Pennsylvania. He wanted me to run for Senate,” Smith, a Philadelphia native, told Reddick on the “Old Man and the Three” podcast. “He said, ‘You should do it.’ I said, ‘I’m not a liberal. I’m not a conservative either.’ He said, ‘It don’t matter with you. You’re a voice that needs to be heard.’ He told me this close to 10 years ago.”

Could the next President of the United States be…@stephenasmith??? pic.twitter.com/fmcwHqq1z9

— Paul Finebaum (@finebaum) August 23, 2022

Another factor that could lead Smith to throw his hat in the ring is the lower “standard,” in his opinion, set by the occupants of the Oval Office in recent years. 

“Listen, it ain’t that big of a standard, I mean let’s call it what it is. I think I got a shot,” Smith said Tuesday.

“And I know this much: I wouldn’t lose a debate.”