Stephen A. Smith Storms Off Stage After Ranting About Government Shutdown

Stephen A. Smith made his name on breaking down sports ... but, he's not playing games when it comes to this government shutdown -- melting down onstage in a wild video.

The ESPN host took part in a NewsNation debate, hosted by Chris Cuomo, Wednesday night ... along with Republican Jim Jordan, Democrat Ro Khanna and Democrat Madeleine Dean.

During the discussion, a man walked up to the microphone and told the panel he started driving for DoorDash to pay his bills ... but, he's actually a professional air traffic controller -- who's not getting paid because of the government shutdown.

Smith loses it after hearing this story ... pointing out all three of the Congressional representatives onstage are still collecting a check despite the shutdown.

Stephen A. says tons of Americans are "pissed off" at their government these days, and cites the nearly $40 trillion debt owed by the country as a reason why ... 'cause he says everyone sees money coming out of their checks -- but, the deficit just keeps growing.

Ultimately, Smith gets himself so worked up he says he needs to step away for a minute ... before he straight-up marches off stage.

As you know ... Stephen A.'s hinted at his political ambitions -- and, President Donald Trump even said back in May he'd love to see the talk show host run for his job in the future.