ESPN's Stephen A. Smith says Joe Biden should not be re-elected in 2024: 'We need a new president'
'I just don’t believe somebody in their 80s should be running the country'
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}ESPN personality Stephen A. Smith is calling on Democrats to present a better candidate for the 2024 presidential election, arguing that President Joe Biden, at 80 years old, should not be re-elected.
During Friday’s episode of "The Stephen A. Smith Show," the ESPN host reflected on Biden’s fall during the Air Force Academy's commencement ceremony on Thursday when he tripped over a sandbag.
President Joe Biden is helped up after falling during the graduation ceremony at the U.S. Air Force Academy near Colorado Springs, Colorado, on June 1, 2023. (Brendan Smialowski/Getty Images)
"It’s just my personal opinion, that’s all it is. Take it for what it’s worth. Somebody’s gotta say it, so I’m going to say it. We need a new president in 2024. We need a new president," Smith said.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}ESPN'S STEPHEN A. SMITH SAYS RON DESANTIS IS 'ONE OF THE STUPIDEST PEOPLE I'VE EVER SEEN'
"Let me be very, very clear about where I’m going with this. That could happen to anybody. It’s not a big deal. I’ve tripped and busted my behind on several occasions, sometimes running up the stairs. It happens. It’s not the end of the world. It’s not evidence that he’s just not all there. But he is 80. He’ll be 81 by the end of his term, approaching 82."
Smith, who said he voted for Biden in the previous election, went on to explain that he’s "not calling for him to be removed from office," but rather seeking a new candidate for the Dems.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"Without trying to engage in any kind of ageism at all, because I don’t believe in it. There does come a point in time where there are certain jobs you don’t need. It’s not that you don’t need to be working, it’s not that you don’t need to be living your life, it’s not that you don’t need to be living a very vibrant lifestyle or anything like that, but there are responsibilities that are far, far, far more extensive than a typical 9 to 5 that somebody in their 80s may not need to be doing. I think the presidency is one of em."
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He continued: "But here’s one of my biggest reasons – and again, forget Biden for a second because this is no disrespect to him. What does it say about our country where we’re looking at an 80-year-old, who will be 82 if he wins the presidency again in 2024? What does it say about our country if that’s what we’re depending on?"
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Stephen A. Smith attends SiriusXM At Super Bowl LVII on Feb. 9, 2023, in Phoenix, Arizona. (Cindy Ord/Getty Images for SiriusXM)
Smith went on to dismiss a number of leading candidates for the Democratic Party, including Marianne Williamson, who previously ran for the Democratic nomination in 2020, and Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.
"I mean, to the Democrats, y’all ain’t got nobody? Nobody?!"
He instead offered a candidate that he called "unbeatable."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"Michelle Obama. She’d win by a landslide," Smith said, noting that the former first lady would likely never declare a presidential run. He also mentioned a possible third run for Hillary Clinton and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y.
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President Joe Biden waves to members of the media before boarding Air Force One at Peterson Air Force Base in Colorado Springs, Thursday, June 1, 2023. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)
Smith who admitted to being "socially liberal" and "fiscally conservative," even offered Walt Disney chief executive Bob Iger as a possible candidate.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"I think Bob Iger’s the greatest I’ve ever seen. I just do. He’ll never run, I mean, he’s living his life running Disney."
Smith circled back, doubling down that calling for change was more to do with Biden’s age than his capabilities as president.
"I just don’t believe somebody in their 80s should be running the country."