Stephen A. Smith expresses his desire to run for president of the United States, but he faces a significant obstacle … MONEY!

TMZ Sports spoke with the ESPN star, who had previously stated he had no interest in running, at Kenny Smith‘s The FlyHouse All-Star Bash in Los Angeles. He candidly remarked, “The country sucks.”

“I believe the country is lacking in leadership; the type of leadership we have is not needed. The kind of leadership we should be receiving is absent. I don’t want to be a politician, but the chance to debate these politicians about their actions that have harmed this country is something that greatly interests me,” SAS stated plainly.

A bold statement … so we inquired what it would take for him to actually run, and Smith replied, “My money has to be tight.”

“My quality of life needs to be stable, you know? From what I understand, that can’t happen because I’d have to sacrifice it to run.”

For your information, Smith reportedly signed a 5-year, $100 million contract with ESPN last year.

Ultimately, Stephen A. expresses his eagerness for the chance to “debate these politicians who I believe have divided us and have truly messed up this country.”

“That’s what I really want to do, more than anything else. But I won’t pretend it wouldn’t be tempting if I knew I could win the presidency; I know I would be tempted.”

Do not expect a final decision anytime soon. SAS mentions nothing “definitive” will occur until 2027.

Until then, we wait.