Outspoken ESPN host Stephen A. Smith shocked many on Friday when he admitted that voting for Kamala Harris in the 2024 election made him feel like a “damn fool.” Appearing on *Real Time With Bill Maher*, Smith took direct aim at the Democratic Party’s handling of the nomination process and criticized its hard-left policies, which he said have alienated voters and handed Donald Trump a decisive victory.
Smith, who is known for his no-nonsense takes in sports and politics, didn’t hold back when discussing Harris’ failed 2020 primary campaign. He pointed out the glaring reality that Harris had *zero* voter support before being handpicked as the Democratic nominee in 2024, calling the entire process a sham.
“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 said.
He admitted that many voters, including himself, fell for the illusion of Harris as a viable candidate. “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,” he confessed. “If you had a primary, the likelihood is she would not have been the Democratic nominee.”
Smith’s rare honesty about the Democratic Party’s failures extended beyond Harris. He chastised the party for ignoring the issues most important to voters while pushing an agenda that everyday Americans simply don’t relate to. He acknowledged what many on the left refuse to admit: Trump was the candidate who appealed to the center, despite relentless attacks from the media and political establishment.
“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, pointing out how far the Democratic Party has veered from mainstream America.
In a post-election interview with Fox News’ Sean Hannity, Smith doubled down on his belief that Trump’s victory was a referendum on the radicalism of the left. “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,” he declared.
One of Smith’s most scathing critiques of the Democratic National Committee came when he addressed the party’s obsession with identity politics. He blamed its focus on transgender issues, woke culture wars, and extreme progressivism for pushing voters away. “It’s such a strong tilt to the progressive left where we are talking about transgender issues and culture wars and identity politics and all of this stuff. We are sick of all of that,” he said on *The Will Cain Show*.
Unlike most left-leaning media figures, Smith has been unapologetic in acknowledging Trump’s win and has called out fellow liberal elites like Michelle Obama, Oprah Winfrey, and Jimmy Kimmel for their out-of-touch portrayals of Trump and his supporters.
Smith’s willingness to speak candidly about the failures of his own party has fueled speculation that he could one day enter politics himself. When asked about a possible run for office on *The View*, he didn’t rule it out. “I have no desire to be a congressional figure or a senator. 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,” he said.
Smith may not be ready to run for president just yet, but one thing is certain—he’s not afraid to call out the Democratic Party for what it is: a party that has lost its way, abandoned the middle class, and ignored the will of the American people.
