The reality of someone like Donald Trump actually running for president long ago surpassed the "Oh, isn't that funny?" categorization it happily embodied for many months, becoming a full-on threat to a lot of people's sanity. Will Smith is so perturbed by Trump's brain-squashing rhetoric that he just might be forced into a White House bid of his own, much to the chagrin of his son Jaden, who previously expressed nearly immediate support for Kanye West's 2020 candidacy.
"If people keep saying all the crazy kinds of stuff they’ve been saying on the news lately about walls and Muslims," the Concussion star tells CBS Sunday Morning, "they’re going to force me into the political arena." That phrasing, specifically "political arena," should sound familiar. Speaking with THR for his first-ever podcast interview last month, Smith hinted at a future in politics with a similar declaration:
As I look at the political landscape, I think that there might be a future out there for me. They might need me out there. This is the first year that I’ve been incensed to a level that I can’t sleep, you know? So I’m feeling that at some point, in the near future, I will have to lend my voice to the conversation in a somewhat different way.
When pressed for specifics by CBS, Smith did not mince words. "I gotta be the president," Smith says, semi-laughing. "Keep it real. What else would I run for?"
Peep the full interview below, which includes some very Jaden-esque advice including this:
Being realistic is the most commonly traveled road to mediocrity.
#WillSmith2020 seems imminent.
