Democrat billionaire donor Tom Steyer is thinking about his next steps after the inauguration of President Trump to the White House.
Steyer, who spent $87 million on the 2016 elections, had thought about launching a bid for governor in California before the election, but is rethinking that idea now that Trump won the election instead of Hillary Clinton, the Hill reported.
“The truth of the matter is, it’s different. The world did not play out on November 8 the way I expected it to, and I want to make sure whatever I do is well considered and responds to the reality of what’s going on,” he said. “I’m still intending to do the most impactful service I can in terms of standing up for the values I care most about.”
Steyer plans on staying involved by combating climate change through his NextGen Climate Action group, which has funded advertisements and built up a field team since 2012.
Last year, the group said it knocked on ten million doors and established a presence on 370 college campuses.
Steyer believes climate change is something that middle-class Americans are on board with if it is framed as an economic issue.
“On an economic basis, acting on clean energy is positive in every single fashion, including creating millions of net good jobs,” Steyer said. “No one votes for polar bears. People care about local, human issues, period.”
Steyer has also launched an ad campaign against Secretary of State nominee Rex Tillerson and funded a ballot measure raising taxes on cigarettes in California.
As for his gubernatorial run in 2018, Steyer has not yet made a decision.
“What I do as an individual in terms of making decisions, I haven’t decided yet,” Steyer said.