Politics

Elizabeth Warren: ‘I Am Not Running For President’ [AUDIO]

Al Weaver Reporter
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Following her much-publicized opposition to the omnibus spending bill last week, Sen. Elizabeth Warren tried to dampen any talk about her running for president in 2016 and challenging presumptive Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton.

In an interview with NPR’s Steve Inskeep Monday morning, Warren said on three separate occasions she will not be running to occupy the White House in 2016. Rather, the newest member of Senate leadership said her focus is fighting for “hard working families who just want a fighting chance.”

“Would you tell these independent groups, ‘Give it up!,’ you’re just never going to run,” asked NPR’s Inskeep.

“I told them, I’m not running for president,” Warren responded.

“You’re putting that in the present tense, though,” said Inskeep. “Are you never going to run?”

“I am not running for president,” Warren responded once more.

“You’re not putting a ‘never’ on that…” Inskeep said, not letting the topic go.

“I am not running for president,” the liberal Democrat said, adding with finality, “you want me to put an exclamation point at the end?”

Warren also told the NPR host that her opposition to the omnibus spending bill last week was a “warning shot” as she continues her battle against Wall Street. Warren was one of 18 Democrats who opposed the bill’s passage, along with 22 Republicans.

“Whichever way you think is the right answer here, I know for sure that this shouldn’t be slipped into an omnibus spending bill — a bill that must pass in order to keep the government open,” said the Massachusetts Senator. “And what it means, if this works, is they can just kinda keep slipping grenades and attach them to, you know, must-pass spending bills and pretty soon we have no financial regulations at all.”

AUDIO (Starts at 5:24):