Stephen A. Smith reveals the conditions for the presidential candidacy in 2028

As speculation continues to mount ESPN personality Stephen A. Smith is serious since he is running for president in 2028analyst First Take provided a condition for this.

Speaking to TMZ Sports at Kenny Smith’s FlyHouse All-Star Bash in Los Angeles, California, Smith said, “This country sucks” when talking about why would he want to run away for the president. However, he admitted that his “money has to be tight” to be able to run.

“My quality of life needs to be right, you know? As far as I understand, that can’t happen because I’d have to give it up to run,” Smith said.

Luckily, as TMZ notes in its report, he does recently signed a five-year, $100 million contract with ESPN in 2025. Still, he’ll have to get his affairs in order before running.

Why should Stephen A. Smith could run for president in 2028

During the same interview with TMZ Sports, Smith revealed why he wants to run. He thinks America is “bereft of leadership” right now, and he could probably bring that to the table.

“I think the country is devoid of leadership, the kind of leadership we have, we don’t need,” Smith told TMZ Sports. “The kind of leadership we should be getting, nobody is stepping up and working.”

“I don’t want to be a politician, but in the same breath, the opportunity to get on the debate stage and call these politicians out for the things they’ve done to harm this country is something that appeals to me very much,” he continued.

Smith would also be eager to “debate these politicians who I think have divided us all and really screwed this country up.” He added: “That’s what I really, really want to do, more than anything else. But I’m not going to lie and act like it wouldn’t be attractive if I knew I could win the presidency, so I wouldn’t be tempted, because I know I would.”

Still, Smith will take his time to decide. He recently told CBS that he’s using 2026 to “think about it, study it, get to know the issues” before officially throwing his hat into the race.