Stephen A Smith had previously announced that he was keeping the option in mind

Stephen A. Smith says he has 'no choice' but to consider presidential run

Stephen A. Smith said Sunday that he had no choice but to consider a presidential run during ABC News' "This Week."

ESPN host Stephen A. Smith was pressed by ABC News' Jon Karl on Sunday about whether he was really considering a run for the presidency — prompting the ESPN host to say that he had no choice but to consider a potential run.

"I have no choice, because I’ve had elected officials — and I'm not going to give their names — coming up to me. I’ve had folks who are pundits come up to me. I've had folks that got a lot of money, billionaires and others, that have talked to me about exploratory committees and things of that nature. I’m not a politician. I’ve never had a desire to be a politician," Smith said, noting his contract with ESPN.

Smith posted on X that he was leaving the doors open for a run earlier this month.

"People have walked up to me, including my own pastor, for crying out loud, who has said to me, ‘you don’t know what God has planned for you, at least show the respect to the people who believe in you, who respect you, who believe that you can make a difference in this country to leave the door open for any possibilities two to three years down the line.’ And that’s what I’ve decided to do," the ESPN host said. "So, I would hope somebody else would step up that’s more qualified than me, but if it has to come down to me, it is something I would consider. Yes, I would. Because I don’t mind tussling with these folks at all on the left or the right. All of them disgust me, to be quite honest with you."

Stephen A Smith — ESPN host Stephen A. Smith joined ABC's "This Week" on Sunday to discuss potentially running for president. (Screenshot/ABC)

Smith also took aim at the Democratic Party during the interview and said that the party's failures were the reason why he, a sports analyst, was even being polled as a potential 2028 Democratic contender.

"The bigger picture here is Elizabeth Warren was just on with you. You’re going to have a multitude of Democratic representatives on with you. They talk, and they talk, and they talk, but what can they do? They position themselves to do absolutely nothing. I didn’t hear anything about tariffs from Democrats before the election. Trump had been preaching about this for the longest time," he added.

He argued that Democrats focused on woke culture, cancel culture and abortion rights, and that its focus was not going to win an election.

Stephen A. Smith at the draft — Stephen A. Smith looks on during the 2024 NBA Draft - Round One on June 26, 2024, at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. (Kostas Lymperopoulos/NBAE via Getty Images)

"It’s an indictment against the Democratic Party that doesn’t have leadership and doesn’t have a vision, and it’s sad," he said.

"Time to stop messing around. Life is great. Especially at ESPN/Disney. Hate the thought of being a politician. But sick of this mess. So I’m officially leaving all doors open," Smith posted on April 7, including an article noting his thoughts on the matter.

Speaking of the future at the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) convention in Las Vegas, Smith suggested, "If it comes in late 2026, 2027, where I look at this country and think it’s an absolute mess and there’s legitimate reason to believe — whether it’s via exploratory committees or anything else — that I indeed have a legitimate shot to win the presidency of the United States, I am not going to rule it out, and I'm not playing."