Will Smith has long expressed an interest in possibly running for president.
Way back in 1999, Smith joked that he told President Bill Clinton to keep his room in the White House warm for him. (Smith wasn’t exactly humble back then… this is the guy who branded the new millennium the “Willennium” in his hit song Will2K.)
“That might sound foolish to some,” he said, “But, in my mind, if Ronald Reagan can become President, then why not Will Smith?
His song “I’m Coming” (from the Willennium” album) also includes the lyric “So young George Bush, I’m thinking about running, maybe not this time but trust me – I’m coming.”
In 2015, Smith said that things being said by then-candidate Donald Trump might drive him to run for office.
“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 News.
Now he’s talking about it again. On a recent episode of the Pod Save America podcast, Smith said that he might run for office “at some point” in the future.
“I think for now I’ll let that office get cleaned up a little bit,” Smith said. “And then I’ll consider that at some point down the line.”
Smith, who dominated the Fourth of July box office with blockbusters like “Independence Day” and “Men in Black,” said he did not know if he would stay in entertainment or if he would get into politics. “I absolutely have an opinion. I’m optimistic. I’m hopeful,” Smith said. “I believe in understanding between people and I believe in the possibility of harmony. So, I will certainly do my part, whether it remains artistic or at some point ventures into the political arena.”
In 2009, Smith attended the award ceremony in Oslo, Norway where President Barack Obama received the Nobel Peace Prize.
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