Stephen A. Smith has admitted that he has regrets after voting for former Vice President Kamala Harris in the 2024 election, who lost to Donald Trump.
During a recent appearance on Real Time with Bill Maher, Smith said he felt like “a damn fool” for backing her, and also addressed Harris’ rise to the Democratic nomination. According to the ESPN pundit, Harris’ lack of success in the 2020 primary made her an unfavorable candidate in the eyes of voters.
“Yes, I voted for her, a lot of people voted for her, but in the end, we end up feeling like damn fools, because we supported it, we fell for the okiedoke as they say,” he expressed. “If you had a primary, the likelihood is she would not have been the Democratic nominee.”
Harris had dropped out of the 2020 Democratic primary in 2019 before even reaching the Iowa caucus. Then in 2024 she was named the party’s nominee without a traditional primary process, which left Smith and others confused.
“Kamala Harris, who didn’t resonate during the primaries in 2020, couldn’t even get to Iowa, suddenly is the Democratic nominee, then you roll up to the convention in Chicago and everybody is like ‘She’s a rockstar!’ So it’s like ‘How’d that happen?’” Smith questioned.
Smith, who has been a vocal critic of the Democratic Party as well as everything else, didn’t hold back on Maher’s show. He even contrasted Harris’ campaign with Trump’s, whom he acknowledged as having a better understanding of voter concerns.
President Donald Trump at “The ABC News Presidential Debate: Race for the White House” held at the National Constitution Center on September 10, 2024 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Bryan Dozier/Variety via Getty Images
“Here’s the deal: the man was impeached twice, he was convicted on 34 felony counts, and the American people still said, ‘He’s closer to normal than what we see on the left,’” Smith said. “I think that in light of those results we have to look at this election as a referendum on the Democratic Party. And America’s saying we’re not feeling where you are, we’re not feeling where you tried to go, we want no part of it, we’re not having it – and they made their choice and we all have to accept it.”
The 57-year-old’s candidness has sparked speculation about him going into politics, to which he isn’t totally against.
“I have no desire to be a congressional figure or a senator,” he admitted while appearing on The View in November. “But if you came to me and you told me I had a legitimate shot to win the presidency of the United States of America, I would definitely consider it.”
