Will Smith Says He Would 'Consider' Running for Political Office
Will Smith may have a future in politics.
The 52-year-old actor reveals that he still has aspirations to one day run for office. While appearing on Crooked Media’s “Pod Save America” podcast, Smith was asked whether he would consider throwing his hat into the political arena.
“I think for now I’ll let that office get cleaned up a little bit and then I’ll consider that at some point down the line,” he said. “I absolutely have an opinion, I’m optimistic, I’m hopeful, I believe in understanding between people and I believe in the possibility of harmony.”
Added Smith, “I will certainly do my part, whether it remains artistic or, at some point, ventures into the political arena.”
This is not the first time the former “Fresh Prince” has expressed an interest in politics. In 2015, Smith said he was felt compelled to run against Donald Trump following controversial comments made by the 45th President of the United States.
“If people keep saying all the crazy kinds of stuff they’ve been saying on the news lately about walls and Muslims, they’re going to force me into the political arena,” he told “CBS Sunday Morning.”
However, his presidential campaign ultimately never got off the ground. “I was thinking about it but, you know, I watched [Barack] Obama for the last eight years [and] that’s a hard job,” he told “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” in 2016. “I definitely have had the itching. I have lots of views and ideas and sometimes I hear people say things on television and I just want to run against them.”
During Monday’s episode of “Pod Save America,” Smith also discussed his experiences with racism. “I’ve been called [n-word] to my face probably five or six times. And fortunately for my psyche, I’ve never been called [n-word] by a smart person,” he said. “I grew up with the impression that racists and racism were stupid, and they were easy to get around. I just had to be smarter now while they were very dangerous. I had never looked into the eyes of a racist and saw anything that I perceived as intellect.”
Smith appeared on the podcast to promote his latest project, “Amend: The Fight for America,” a six-part Netflix documentary series that analyzes the history of the 14th Amendment.