Last updated on September 25th, 2023 at 08:50 pm
Democratic activist Tom Steyer, a billionaire investor who has discussed running for president, said on Wednesday that he won’t run for the White House in 2020. He said he would instead spend his money continuing his efforts to impeach President Donald Trump.
Steyer has already spent $50 million on his impeachment efforts — called the ‘Need to Impeach’ campaign — over the past year. And now he will spend an additional $40 million this year, trying to put pressure on congressional Democrats to approve articles of impeachment against Trump in the House of Representatives.
Steyer attended an event in Des Moines, Iowa last night and gave a speech, saying that “the impeachment question has reached an inflection point,†since Democrats now have majority control of the House.
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In his remarks Steyer commented:
“I said last year that I’m willing to do whatever I can to protect our country from this reckless, lawless and dangerous president. Therefore, I will be dedicating 100 percent of my time, effort and resources working for Mr. Trump’s impeachment and removal from office. I am not running for president at this time.â€
Steyer said his additional $40 million commitment to impeach Trump during 2019 was will be used to lobby the Democratic-controlled House to seriously consider the impeachment process. Articles of impeachment were introduced last Thursday, but Steyer wants further action as soon as possible. He wants Speaker Nancy Pelosi to approve impeachment hearings, for example.
He will also use his money to attempt to convince Democratic Party presidential contenders to specifically call for Trump’s impeachment in their campaign platforms.
Steyer’s announcement that he was not running for president came as a surprise to many people. The billionaire had been traveling the country for months promoting his political platform. He had stepped up his activities after November’s midterm elections, which was seen as a sign that he was serious about running.
Steyer explained the reasoning behind his decision by saying that his impeachment mission is similar to seeking the presidency itself. He told the group of Iowa Democrats:
“Most people come to Iowa around this time to announce a campaign for the presidency. I am proud to be here to announce that I will do whatever it takes for as long as it takes to remove a president.â€
Even though House Democrats are now in the controlling majority, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi has made clear in her public comments that the House will not move forward on efforts to impeach Trump at this time. She has said that they need more facts than they have now, and she would like to see the final report that will soon be issued by special counsel Robert Mueller.
Pelosi maintains that impeachment should be a bipartisan activity, and that it would be divisive for the country if Democrats pursued it on their own.
In his speech, however, Steyer objected to Pelosi’s reasoning by saying:
“If someone says there are tactical, political reasons not to do the right thing for our country, I would say that’s not the basis on which we’re making decisions.â€
Steyer has built a group of political organizations that he believes will have an impact on the 2020 presidential race as well as on key congressional races across the country.
Other prominent Democrats who have announced they will not run in 2020 include former Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick and Stormy Daniels’ lawyer, Michael Avenatti.
I am a lifelong Democrat with a passion for social justice and progressive issues. I have degrees in writing, economics and law from the University of Iowa.
