Justin Amash signaled that he is considering a 2020 presidential bid.
The ideologically libertarian, ex-Republican congressman criticized a claim President Trump made in a press briefing on Monday.
“When somebody’s president of the United States, the authority is total, and that’s the way it’s gotta be,” Trump said.
“Americans who believe in limited government deserve another option,” Amash responded in a tweet.
A fan of the congressman replied, “Please be you.”
“Thanks. I’m looking at it closely this week,” he replied.
Americans who believe in limited government deserve another option. https://t.co/c7P2vOTyOe
— Justin Amash (@justinamash) April 13, 2020
Thanks. I’m looking at it closely this week.
— Justin Amash (@justinamash) April 14, 2020
Amash did not immediately respond to the Washington Examiner’s clarifying questions. He weighed in last week on former Vice President Joe Biden becoming the presumptive Democratic nominee, tweeting, “Trump versus Biden is not the contest America deserves or the one it needs right now.”
The Michigan congressman, who has been in the House since 2011, left the Republican Party last summer after publicly calling for Trump to be impeached following revelations in special counsel Robert Mueller’s report on Russian interference in the 2020 election.
In a July 4 op-ed, he wrote that he was “declaring” his “independence,” making him the only independent member of the House of Representatives.
“I’ve become disenchanted with party politics and frightened by what I see from it. The two-party system has evolved into an existential threat to American principles and institutions,” Amash said.
In December, he voted in favor of the articles of impeachment.
Amash opposes military intervention abroad, has voted in favor of ending abortion after 20 weeks of pregnancy, and supports ending the federal prohibition of marijuana, among other positions he believes support “limited government, economic freedom, and individual liberty.”
