President Donald Trump on Wednesday endorsed the idea of ESPN commentator Stephen A. Smith potentially entering the 2028 presidential race, telling NewsNation during a live phone interview, “I’d love to see him run.”
As reported [1] by The New York Post, Trump’s comments came after Smith questioned the president over his administration’s rollback of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives during a panel discussion that also included former Fox News host Bill O’Reilly and former CNN anchor Chris Cuomo [2].
O’Reilly first raised the possibility of a Smith candidacy, possibly jokingly, prompting Trump to respond.
“Stephen A, he’s a good guy. He’s a smart guy. I love watching him,” Trump said. “He’s got great entertainment skills, which is very important. People watch him. You know, a lot of these Democrats I watch, I say they have no chance.”
Smith, a longtime sports broadcaster and host of ESPN’s First Take, pressed Trump on actions taken during his presidency to eliminate DEI programs in federal agencies.
“Your administration has issued executive orders dismantling DEI initiatives across federal agencies, including revoking equal opportunity mandates and slashing funding for minority-owned businesses,” Smith said.
“Critics argue these actions reverse decades of civil rights progress. So how do you justify these measures, and what message do they send to marginalized communities?”
Trump responded by defending his administration’s merit-based approach to governance.
“What we’re doing is we have a country that’s based solely on merit now, and that’s the way it is,” Trump said.
“If somebody’s out there doing a great job — and this includes getting into colleges if you’ve worked really hard — and we don’t look at race.”
Trump added:
“We don’t look at color, we don’t look at height or shortness or weight. If somebody is doing a good job and they worked and they got great marks, and they got great board numbers, and they get rejected at Harvard, which has been so disgusting, so horribly—I mean, so think of it.”
Smith has hinted several times in recent months that he is seriously considering a presidential [3] run. Earlier in April, he told ABC News’ This Week that he has been approached by political figures and donors about exploring a campaign.
“I’ve had elected officials, and I’m not going to give their names, elected officials coming up to me,” Smith said. “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.”
Stephen A. Smith’s face when President Trump says he’d love to see him run for president is PRICELESS! pic.twitter.com/qwEwZCRvsC [4]
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) May 1, 2025 [5]
Although Smith said he has never aspired to be a politician, he admitted he may consider a run if the country is in what he called an “absolute mess” and he feels he has a “legitimate shot” at winning.
Smith, who has become more vocal about political issues since Trump’s re-election in 2024, previously criticized the Democratic Party [6] for underestimating Trump’s support and losing key demographics.