ESPN chief hot-take dispenser Stephen A. Smith has mused about possibly running for office after a poll revealed he trailed former Democrat Vice Presidential candidate Tim Walz by only one percentage point among Democrats.
The poll prompted Smith to consider running for political office and has caused the media to question the multi-millionaire sports talker about a potential run. Just before last week’s Super Bowl, Smith gave an interview to Bloomberg in which he fielded questions about his political ambitions.
In that interview, which was posted on Saturday, Smith was asked about his stance on transgender athletes participating in women’s sports. After remarking how he sees himself as a centrist on most issues, he revealed a non-centrist position on the issue of trans athletes.
“So that’s how I look at it. LGBTQ rights and all that stuff, I’m in full support of that, but when transgender athletes, men are transitioning to women, and they’re competing in female sports, that’s a different animal to me,” Smith said.
“That’s not just about LGBTQ rights. That’s about prying on the rights of females out there everywhere who were born female, and they’re at a decided disadvantage.”
If Smith does run for office, he can feel encouraged by the fact that, at least on this issue, his views align with the vast majority of Americans. Proof of this came during a recent CNN segment, no less, when the liberal network became aware that 79 percent of the American people agree with President Trump’s stance on transgender athletes and his executive order to remove them from women’s sports under Title IX.
So, Smith’s position on trans athletes will help him with everyday Americans. However, if he intends to run as a Democrat, it won’t help him much.