‘I ain’t seen a Democrat that can beat him yet’: Stephen A. Smith names his 2028 president pick

Stephen A. Smith has become one of the most outspoken voices in sports media when it comes to politics, and he’s even teased a possible presidential run of his own. Ahead of Tuesday’s midterms, the ESPN star had a lot to say about where both parties are headed, and he’s already looking ahead to 2028.

Now, a clip of Smith making a bold prediction about the next presidential election is making the rounds. Smith said that Secretary of State Marco Rubio is the “real deal,” predicted that he’ll be the Republican nominee, and said he hasn’t seen a Democrat who can beat him.

Smith’s Warning to Democrats

Smith made the comments about Rubio at the end of an episode of his Straight Shooter podcast released ahead of the midterms. Most of the episode was focused on a warning to Democrats, as Smith urged the party not to pursue impeachment against President Donald Trump if it won back the House.

“My point is I don’t give a damn what he just said. Don’t waste your time impeaching him. Govern the country. Show that you want to govern. Show that you’re thinking about the American people instead of yourself, your vitriol, and your own commitment to vengeance,” Smith said, on the podcast.

“Otherwise, you can win back the House this Tuesday all you want, Democratic Party. You ain’t going to win the presidency in 2028,” he added.

Democrats went on to win both the House and the Senate on Tuesday. Then on Thursday, fitness personality turned conservative podcaster Jillian Michaels shared a clip of Smith’s 2028 prediction, writing that “Democrats are not going to like what he just said.”

‘The Real Deal’

With Trump unable to run for a third term, Smith thinks that Democrats would likely face Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis or Vice President JD Vance, whom Smith said he is “no fan of.” But he made it clear who he thinks the favorite is.

“Or the person that I believe is the real deal and somebody that the Democrats are going to have a tough time reckoning with and that is Marco Rubio, the Secretary of State for the United States of America who was a former senator out of Florida who is incredibly knowledgeable and smart as a whip,” Smith said.

“I believe he’s going to be the Republican nominee for the presidency of the United States. And I ain’t going to front. I ain’t seen a Democrat that can beat him yet. Based on what these people are talking about, based on the left being held hostage by progressives and socialists on the left, that ain’t beating Marco Rubio,” he continued.

Smith then laid out why he thinks Rubio would be such a tough matchup for Democrats.

“Imagine, ladies and gentlemen, that instead of having a wildcard president who says what he wants and does what he wants, doesn’t give a damn about decorum or anything in the process, even though he’s incredibly popular with his base, imagine instead that you’re dealing with a candidate who’s bilingual, highly intelligent, very accomplished, very knowledgeable about the issues, who’s younger, far more articulate and ready to take on Democrats at the drop of a hat because he’s been doing it his entire career,” Smith said.

“And I’m willing to bet the house that the number one candidate for the GOP is going to be Marco Rubio. And he ain’t gonna be that easy to deal with because he’s not going to give you the fodder that Trump is willing to give you. He’s far more knowledgeable about not just the issues, but he knows where the bodies lie within the Democratic party,” he added.

We’ll have to see whether or not Smith’s prediction holds true.