Shaquille O’Neal ‘Hilariously’ Announces His Candidacy for US President 7 Months Before Elections

The United States is gearing up for an intense political environment as the November Presidential elections draw closer. Though current President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump are already the designated candidates for this race, it seems like there is a third person who could give the two veteran politicians a worthy fight. The case for Shaquille O’Neal being the President has always been strong among his fans. However, what if Shaq actually took part in the Presidential race?

The Big Diesel is now on a tour in China, where he surprised his fans by wearing a t-shirt that read “2024 Shaq for President.” Shaq met his fans in China wearing this t-shirt and posted a poll on his Snapchat, asking viewers if they would vote for him.

In the video on his Snapchat, Shaq appears to be humming a patriotic song before the camera pans close to him, and he says, “This is your President speaking,” with a gleeful smile. The handle @NBACelebsUpdate on X (formerly Twitter) later uploaded the video on the platform.

Of course, Shaq was joking about running for the President’s office, with just 7 months left for the elections due in November. However, it seems many fans wouldn’t mind Shaq for President either. Perhaps the Big Fella could seek advice from his fellow TNT analyst Charles Barkley, who has been very critical of the Presidential candidates vying for reelection.

Shaquille O’Neal voted for the first time in Presidential elections in 2020

This isn’t the first time Shaq has shared his aspirations to run for the POTUS’ office. Over the past few years, Shaq has become more interested in politics. This is quite in contrast to his usual self, who remains tight-lipped in matters related to politics. However, like many stars, the office of the United States’ President does seem like an attractive option to contest for. After all, it would elevate Shaq from being the most dominant player in NBA history to the most influential person in global politics.

Perhaps, following Kanye West’s aspirations for the POTUS office, Shaq posted a picture on his Instagram page to announce his interest. In this picture, the Big Fella was seen wearing the same shirt as above, with the caption saying, “Would you vote for me?” 

The new interest in politics is entirely a new domain for Shaq. Some may even call it ‘out-of-character’ for the 4x NBA champion. Fans were quite surprised to learn when Shaq revealed that the 2020 Presidential election was the first time he had ever voted at 48. However, times have changed now, as a person who used to take little to no interest in politics is now actively considering the post of the President.