Bill O’Reilly Eggs Stephen A. Smith On for a Presidential Run: ‘Would Be an Amazing Historical Achievement!’

Former Fox News host Bill O’Reilly urged ESPN host Stephen A. Smith to run for president on Wednesday, arguing that such a campaign “would be an amazing historical achievement.”

During a discussion on NewsNation’s Cuomo about whether Smith would run for president in 2028, O’Reilly said, “I think he should run, and I’m being serious now, and Trump opened the door for you. You should send Trump a big bouquet of flowers.”

O’Reilly argued that while Smith would likely have no real shot at being elected president, he would be “injecting” himself “into the debate, the national debate, and you’re exposing the charlatans, which would be an amazing historical achievement.”

“You don’t have to win. You can go back to the dopey [ESPN] show anytime,” he remarked. “They don’t have anybody to replace you.”

Smith responded, “Bill, I don’t play to lose. If I decide to run, it’s because I intend to win. It ain’t to make noise just to expose the charlatans, it’s to win, and if I decide to do it, I’m telling you I intend to win. Make no mistake about it. I won’t do it unless I believe I have a legitimate shot to win the presidency.”

“But if you don’t win, it’s still a win,” concluded O’Reilly. “And as your vice president, I’ll do everything I can to try to ensure you win.”

For more than a year, Smith has repeatedly toyed with the idea of running for president as a Democrat in 2028, telling CBS last week that he was “giving strong consideration to being on that debate stage.”

Along with O’Reilly, Smith has also received support for a 2028 presidential run from Bill Maher, who argued last year that Smith could be the “outsider” Democrats need to win.

Watch above via NewsNation.

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