Gov. Inslee speaks out on shutdown, edges closer to 2020 run
Jan 23, 2019, 5:23 PM
Washington State Governor Jay Inslee spoke out against President Donald Trump and the partial federal government with CNN’s Don Lemon on Tuesday, continuing what appears to be a steady march toward a possible run at the White House in 2020.
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“I’m outraged like most Americans, that people who are saving our lives in the Coast Guard aren’t getting paid, TSA agents aren’t getting paid, and right now this is really impinging on basic services,” Inslee told CNN’s Don Lemon.
This comes the day after Inslee visited New Hampshire, the state where the second presidential primary is traditionally held, and often a focal point of candidates looking to build early momentum.
Earlier in January, he traveled to Nevada to deliver a keynote address at a progressive summit. Nevada will be home to the third presidential primary in 2020 on Saturday, Feb. 22.
Not so coincidentally, Inslee visited Iowa in June, the site of the first 2020 presidential primary on Monday, Feb. 3.
While in New Hampshire, Gov. Inslee stopped short of confirming a presidential run, but did say he would make a decision within “weeks, not months,” as reported by The Seattle Times.
In between visits to key primary states, Inslee has made a point to make statements that sound like they belong on a campaign trail.
“I’m really happy to be in a confrontation with (President Trump) — I’m comfortable in that conversation,” Inslee said in an early-January interview with The Atlantic. “You have to do two things in beating Donald Trump: One, you have to show dignity and that you can help America to become united again, and you can help America rise to the better angels rather than our lower behavior.”
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Inslee didn’t mince words when speaking of federal workers suffering during the shutdown.
“Don’t tell me (President Trump) cares about these people — he’s trying to stop us from helping them out,” he told Lemon.
A presidential run certainly feels inevitable for Washington’s governor, entering an already-competitive field of candidates with Elizabeth Warren and Kamala Harris.
