Stephen A. Smith isn’t backing down. The ESPN host kept up his criticism of the Democratic Party and hinted at a possible 2028 presidential run. He made his remarks Wednesday night on "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon."
Fallon jumped right in. He pointed out the media buzz surrounding Smith’s rumored candidacy. Holding up a list of headlines, he asked, "I mean, what’s going on? What does this mean?"
Smith started with a joke. "Folks are nuts, number one," he said. Then, he got serious.
"Number two, you know, I mean, the Democratic Party, I mean, they’re lost," Smith continued. "They had a bad few months. We all know this. And even though there’s a lot of qualified Democrats all over the country… there’s no real national voice. Enter moi. They’ve come to me."
He insisted he wasn’t looking for this attention. "I did not ask for this. I don’t want this," he said. "I happen to have a very, very, very good life, very good job. I’m good, very good."
Still, his polling numbers are rising. He noted how Democrats are struggling to find a strong national leader. "I watch these things. I watch these things," he claimed.
Then came the moment that set off speculation. "And I’m saying, ‘Wait a minute now. I don’t want to do this.’ But the fact that they’re talking about me this way, I must say, I approve this message."
Fallon caught it instantly. "Oh my God!" he shouted.
While some in the media seem excited, not everyone is on board. Veteran Democratic strategist James Carville made his feelings clear.
"He’s on there running his g--damn mouth about how he may have to run as a Democrat because there’s nothing left… there’s no talent," Carville ranted on his "War Room" podcast. "Stephen A, are you s---ing me?"
Smith fired back on his own podcast. He questioned whether attitudes like Carville’s are part of the Democrats’ problem.
"I religiously say I am no political aficionado," Smith admitted. "I read, I watch the news, I am a conscientious observer. But I do have to ask you a question, Mr. James Carville… You do know that you are talking to a voter, right? Could that be one of the reasons y’all lost?"
He didn’t stop there. "Because you sound like one of those old curmudgeons that want things to be the way that they used to be," Smith said. "And you are resentful… because you are not being heard. That is not Stephen A. Smith’s fault, sir. That’s that damn Democratic Party that I was talking about."