Stephen A. Smith reacts to Trump endorsing a potential presidential run
Stephen A. Smith was both flattered and “aghast” after President Donald Trump appeared to endorse the ESPN personality for a presidential run.
Smith made the comments Sunday to CNN‘s Jake Tapper on “The State of the Union.
“I was aghast to be quite honest with you,” Smith said. “I wasn’t looking for any kind of endorsement from anybody, especially him. But he is the President of the United States. There’s a bit of flattery that comes with getting such words from the man who holds the highest office in the land, and I can appreciate that.
“But in the same breath I’m saying to myself, ‘You know what, evidently I have no chance,’ because if someone like that is throwing out my name, clearly they think that, ‘Yeah, go ahead and do it so we can beat you. We can romp you too.’ So I’m not falling for it. It was nice to hear and I appreciated it, but obviously it is what it is. I hear where he’s coming from, but I wasn’t thinking about it any more seriously than that.”
Smith said he isn’t the most qualified, but, “I believe that if I did take this very, very seriously and I moved forward and I decided that I wanted to be a politician, do I believe I could win? You’re d–n right.”
Last week, Bill O’Reilly asked Trump if he had any advice for Smith if he were to run.
“No, Stephen A., he is a good guy, a smart guy,” Trump said, per Newsweek. “I love watching him. He’s got great entertainment skills, which is very important. People watch him.”
Trump went on to say he is “pretty good at picking people and picking candidates.”
“I’d love to see him run.”
Mark Heim is a reporter for The Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @Mark_Heim. He can be heard on “The Opening Kickoff” on WNSP-FM 105.5 FM in Mobile or on the free Sound of Mobile App from 6 to 9 a.m. daily.