Senator Warren: ‘I’m Not Running For President,’ ‘Exclamation Point’

Monday, on NPR, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) told host Steve Inskeep several times, as forcefully as possible, that she’s not running for president.

Partial transcript as follows:

INSKEEP: Senator Warren, as you must know that even as you were fighting over this in the Senate, there was a group called ‘Ready for Warren’ that want you to run for the president that released a letter signed by more than 300 people who describe themselves as former Obama campaign workers and staffers and aides. They want you to run. What do say to them?

WARREN: I’m not running for the president. That’s not what we’re doing. We had a very important fight in the United States Congress just this past week and I’m putting all my energy into that fight, into what happens after this.

INSKEEP: Would you tell these independent groups, ‘Give it up.’ You just never going to run.

WARREN: I told them, “I’m not running for president.”

INSKEEP: You are putting that in the present tense tough. Are you never going to run?

WARREN: I’m not running for president.

INSKEEP: You’re not putting a ‘never’ on that?

WARREN: I’m not running for president. Do you want me to put an exclamation point at the end?

INSKEEP: OK. (Laughter) That’s fine. Can you tell me, Senator, how you see your role over the next couple of years presuming that you don’t run. You’ve raised your profile in a way that few Democrats have been able to do recently?

WARREN: You know, I’m just here to stand up for hard working families who just want a fighting chance. That’s what I’m in this fight for and I’m in fight all the way.

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