NEWNow you can listen to Fox News articles!
Stephen A. Smith rebuked an Axios report Monday that said some Democrats are pinning their 2028 hopes on a “white Christian man,” reversing the idea while arguing the party instead lacks clear leadership.
“I hope you don’t explain something like that to me. I certainly won’t say that. I can tell you a lot,” he told Sean Hannity of this report.
“I was recording this show and I told you that it should be Josh Shapiro [in 2024],” he added.
“[Former Vice President Kamala Harris] he made a big mistake in not choosing the governor of Pennsylvania as his candidate.”
EMANUEL PUSHES ‘WHITE MAN’ QUESTION, SAYS IDEAS MOST IMPORTANT IN 2028.
Stephen A. Smith speaks on stage during the 2024 HOPE Global Forum in Atlanta, Ga, on Dec. 11, 2024. (Paras Griffin/Getty Images)
Shapiro has been open about his Jewish faith, which some, including President Trump, thought might have prevented Harris from nominating him as a move to avoid alienating Muslim voters who were already unhappy with the Biden administration’s handling of Israel’s war in Gaza.
Shapiro refuted that assumption, however. accusing Trump of “trying to use me and trying to use other Jews to further divide Americans” while insisting that anti-Semitism played “no role” in his conversation with Harris.
An Axios report on Sunday cited fears among Democratic Party leaders that nominating a woman could be unpopular with some segments of the electorate, pointing to the losses of Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Vice President Harris to President Trump in 2016 and 2024, respectively.
SE CUPP PRAISES ANOTHER ‘COASTAL LIBERAL’ AS NEWSOM IS THE PARTY’S SAVIOR AFTER HIS ‘MISSES’.
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro speaks during the first re-election event in Philadelphia, Penn., on Thursday, Jan. 8. (Rachel Wisniewski/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
“Democrat strategists have slammed it, many saying ‘It has to be a white person,'” the outlet wrote.
Smith pinned his 2028 hopes on a handful of candidates — Shapiro, Maryland Democratic Gov. Wes Moore and, to the surprise of many, Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
“I’m sure I’m wrong about it, a lot of people are following me because of it,” he said, referring to the fact that he was previously found talking about Rubio on the “Hang Out with Sean Hannity” podcast.
STEPHEN A SMITH PUBLISHES WHITE BID, SAYS HE’LL BACK RUBIO OVER OTHER TOP DEMOCRATS.
“I don’t give a damn. I feel what I feel. I say what I say. I mean what I say. Marco Rubio is the oldest person in the room. I think he’s incredibly qualified. Obviously, he’s been a senator for a long time before he became Secretary of State and obviously, National Security Advisor to the President of the United States. He knows what he’s talking about,” he added.
“I think he can be a leading member when looking at the people who will be elected by the Democrats there. If it’s not someone like Josh Shapiro, I don’t see how it will happen because I don’t see anyone else in the Democratic Party in the line of rebellion against him.”
Smith went on to criticize the Democratic Party as “leaderless” and “lacking pins” while adding that he believes it has “been like this for a long time.”
“Democrats everywhere recognize the fact that there needs to be someone who can step up to be the leader,” he said, adding that he doesn’t believe California Gov. Gavin Newsom fits the bill.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS PROGRAM
On the other hand, Shapiro said that he may face some problems due to non-compliance with the law, but his leadership should not be underestimated.
“I still think he’s very qualified. I think he’s done a great job, in the state of Pennsylvania. And I think he’s someone to be highly regarded.”
Anders Hagstrom of Fox News contributed to this report.
