After decades as sports commentary’s loudest voice, Stephen A. Smith might be laying the groundwork for a pivot to public office.
The ESPN talking head and First Take host has become increasingly vocal about national affairs, leading to speculation about whether he could be positioning himself for a run at the White House.
Smith, a registered independent, hasn’t shot down the possibility, saying he’s “dead serious” about a potential 2028 campaign. He wouldn’t be the first boisterous Queens-bred TV personality with polarizing views to take the leap.
“I have no desire to be a politician, but I’ve decided that I’m no longer going to close that door,” Smith, 58, shared in 2025 during a live conversation at the National Association of Broadcasters convention. He’s said he would consider a future run on the Democratic ticket if there were a legitimate chance of victory. “If it comes in late 2026, 2027, where I look at this country and think it’s an absolute mess... I am not going to rule it out.”
Smith is critical of politicians from both political parties and identifies as a centrist, but what does he actually believe in? In an effort to unpack his possible platform—and to pinpoint where he stands ideologically—we’ve compiled past quotes from SAS on hot-topic issues. This is the world, as Stephen A. Smith sees it.
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Stephen A. Smith’s Take On. . . Immigration:
"We don't need any more folks coming into this country—especially illegally—until we get our house in order... It's not to denigrate anybody [who's] trying to come from a desolate place and trying to get to the United States of America. It's not about that. It's that America doesn't have its own house in order right now, and we have to change that." (The Stephen A. Smith Show, 2025)
SAS’s Take is RIGHT WING: While sympathizing with migrants, he argues that America should clamp down on illegal immigration to focus on problems at home. But he also seems to come out against legal immigration, which places him on similar ground with nativists like Stephen Miller, at a moment when support for legal immigration has hit an all-time high.
Stephen A. Smith’s Take On. . . Tariffs
“Tariffs are not a bad thing. I just think the way [Trump is] going about imposing them has been disastrous. I think that he's haphazard... He's not thinking about the ripple and the lateral effect that it ultimately has. You're scaring the markets. You're scaring prospective employers. You're scaring folks out there. You're scaring the American citizen now. They wanna hold onto their money 'cause they don't know what you're going to do.” (National Association of Broadcasters, 2025)
SAS’s Take is. . . CENTRIST: When it comes to tariffs, Stephen A. Smith, of all people, doesn’t cosign chaos. While he sees their potential merits (a protectionist tool used selectively to assist certain industries such as steel or dairy), the high-earning media figure has repeatedly warned that Trump-era volatility spooks investors, employers, and consumers, rattling the economy in the process.
Stephen A. Smith’s Take On. . . Sanctuary Cities
"I don't understand how sanctuary cities are allowed in this country. I don't get it. If there's federal laws that mandate that, ‘You know what, you can't cross the border illegally,’ there shouldn't be sanctuary cities saying, ‘Yes, you can.’ It just shouldn't be. I mean, one way or another, pick one." (Straight Shooter With Stephen A., 2026)
SAS’s Take is. . . RIGHT WING: Smith questions the logic of local vs. federal laws as they relate to immigration, insisting that there should be one set of rules—especially as ICE ramps up deportation raids.
Stephen A. Smith’s Take On. . . Transgender Athletes
“If you were once a male who now identifies yourself as a female, that’s fine... I support that and support folks not violating your civil rights [or] mistreating you. But if you’re competing against ladies and from a physical perspective, you were not born a lady, does that not give you an advantage?” (The New York Times Magazine, 2023)
SAS’s Take is. . . CENTRIST: On this issue, Smith sounds like California Governor Gavin Newsom, the current frontrunner for the 2028 Democratic nomination. He supports transgender rights, but draws a line at athletic competition, arguing that inclusion and fairness don’t always align, especially in women’s sports. But in 2024, NCAA president Charlie Baker, the former Republican Governor of Massachusetts, said fewer than 10 of the NCAA’s more than 500,000 student-athletes were transgender. That’s 0.002 percent.
Stephen A. Smith’s Take On. . . "Defunding the Police"
“I don’t want to see less police officers. I want to see more police officers. I heard [New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani] talk about mental health experts in the subway system. I don’t care about that. I want cops in the subways in New York City...that’s what I want. I don’t want to hear about no damn mental health experts in subways.” (Straight Shooter With Stephen A., 2025)
SAS’s Take is. . . CENTRIST: In Straight Shooter: A Memoir of Second Chances and First Takes, Smith reflects on being held in custody for hours after unknowingly driving with a suspended license, an infuriating experience that gave him firsthand insight into (over)policing. Still, he argues that divesting from law enforcement in favor of alternative approaches is a bad idea.
Stephen A. Smith’s Take On. . . Health Care
"Health care is one issue—there [are] plenty of things that we can look at in the system that exists within the United States where regulations need to be altered to some degree. Things need to be addressed. The system continuously takes advantage of the American citizen." (The Stephen A. Smith Show, 2024)
SAS’s Take is. . . LEFT WING: Smith has seldom spoken at length or in great detail about America’s medical system, but while addressing the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, he acknowledged the industry’s predatory nature and the need for guardrails.
Stephen A. Smith’s Take On. . . Reproductive Rights
“I don’t believe that any man on earth has a right to tell a woman what to do with her body, period. It doesn’t matter how I feel. It is between her and her God.” (Know Mercy with Stephen A. Smith, 2022)
SAS’s Take is. . . LEFT WING: On abortion, Smith takes a firm stance: Stay out of women’s business.
Stephen A. Smith’s Take On. . . Taxes
“When you think about the billionaires in the city of New York, they make up about 48% in terms of the amount of taxes that they dole out to the rest of New Yorkers. And if you’re talking about raising their taxes while doing these other things, you’re making New York unattractive, not just for residents, but for businesses. And if you make it unattractive for businesses, and you compromise the ability to be the capitalists that these people are, then they take their businesses elsewhere.” (The Stephen A. Smith Show, 2025)
SAS’s Take is. . . RIGHT WING: Perhaps the issue SAS is most passionate about! Smith, who in March reportedly signed a five‑year, $100 million contract with ESPN, and reportedly makes approximately $40 million annually from all his ventures, thinks rich people like him should pay less in city and state taxes. If taxed further, he argues that capital will flee to no-tax states such as Florida and Texas.
Stephen A. Smith’s Take On. . . Affirmative Action
“White America is asking you to trust that [its] heart is going to be in the right place. And there are a plethora of people throughout minority communities in this country who would challenge that and would say, ‘No, we don't necessarily believe that to be the case, which is why we need the laws to help us.’” (Fox News Tonight, 2023)
SAS’s Take is. . . LEFT WING: As a product of Hollis, Queens, who came of age during the crack-cocaine era, SAS urged University of South Alabama students in 2016 not to consider racism and discrimination an excuse for disadvantages. But he does feel affirmative action is still necessary to close enduring gaps in access and power.
Stephen A. Smith’s Take On. . . Marijuana
“[I] don’t support it at all, in terms of the NBA legalizing it. If states want to legalize it, so be it. [If] they want to tax it, so be it.” (First Take, 2017)
SAS’s Take is. . . CENTRIST: Smith writes in his memoir that he’s never smoked weed, determined to avoid the path his father took. While he opposes marijuana being allowed for recreational use in professional sports, he has said he’s indifferent about legalization in the U.S.
Stephen A. Smith’s Take On. . . Redistricting
“[Gerrymandering] usually happens at the end of each decade... This is not something that happens in the middle of things, as we’re seeing it unfold right now. So it’s clear what Texas is doing... They pulled an okie-doke on Texas citizens who aren’t necessarily part of the red wave... to secure more seats in the House... I do not like what’s happening. I think it’s real slick. It’s shady. The Democrats haven’t been innocent of it themselves in the past.” (NewsNation, 2025)
SAS’s Take is. . . CENTRIST: Spoken like a true sports commentator, Smith bristles at power structures that bend—or outright break—the rules for their advantage, calling out both political parties for redrawing electoral district boundaries to influence voting outcomes, while recognizing that Texas Republicans instigated this latest wave.
Stephen A. Smith’s Take On. . . “Black-on-Black Crime”
“When are we going to look at ourselves when it comes to Black people being killed in the streets of America? I don’t even want to get into what happened in Chicago, but I have no choice. It’s not the first time this has happened! It’s been happening year after year after year. Chicago, St. Louis, Baltimore. The list goes on and on. Where’s the noise at? Where’s the protest? Where’s mainstream media talking about that?” (The Stephen A. Smith Show, 2023)
SAS’s Take is. . . RIGHT WING: After a particularly murderous long weekend in the Windy City, Smith asked when Black Americans will look themselves in the mirror.
Stephen A. Smith’s Take On. . . the Jan. 6 Capitol raid
“Tucker Carlson is not wrong when he points out that not every protester was a violent protester. Of course, we know that! But the fact of the matter is you had no business in the Capitol… You crossed those barriers. You had protestors, insurrectionists kicking in windows, kicking down doors, damn near crushing police officers… Four people in the crowd died! One officer died! ... There is no question that lives of elected officials were in danger.” (Know Mercy With Stephen A. Smith, 2023)
SAS’s Take is. . . CENTRIST: Smith strongly condemns the January 6 insurrection, saying anyone who crossed barricades and threatened officers or elected officials on behalf of Trump went too far.
Stephen A. Smith’s Take On. . . Vaccines
“It’s shameful when athletes talk about, ‘Oh, it’s a private matter.' It is not a private matter because it affects anybody that’s standing right next to you. You’re not living a private life, that’s ridiculous.... If I hear one more person, Marcus, talk to me about, ‘What’s in the vaccine?’ I might slap ’em with my phone.” (First Take, 2021)
SAS’s Take is. . . EVOLVING: SAS went hard at pro athletes who refused to get vaccinated during the COVID-19 pandemic (he also dealt with a near-deadly bout with the virus). But Smith’s beliefs have changed over the years; he recently said on the 7PM in Brooklyn podcast that Kyrie Irving was “correct” in his decision to reject vaccination. “We see all the conspiracy theories that came out,” Smith said, without elaborating. “Props to him for having the foresight.”