As the United States continues to deal with a number of pressing political issues, the 2020 presidential field is shaping up. This weekend, Senator Cory Booker (D-N.J.) went to Plains, Georgia, where former President Jimmy Carter lives and attended a church service there with Georgia Democratic Congressman John Lewis. After the service, in an Instagram video, Booker shared a moment with the former president — who told the Senator he should run for president.
The high profile Booker led with:
‘It’s one of the great honors of my life — I’m not exaggerating — to be here with you today, Mr. President. Thank you!’
To that, Carter replied:
‘I’m very glad to have you here this morning and hope you’ll come back, and I hope you run for president.’
Booker shot back:
‘Thank you for saying that. You encouraging me means more to me than you can imagine.’
Cory Booker and John Lewis attended a church service this morning led by former President Jimmy Carter. Afterward, Carter told Booker on his Insta story: “I hope you run for president.” pic.twitter.com/66Of30CpYE
— Rebecca Buck (@RebeccaBuck) January 20, 2019
Booker has already been rumored to be one of the eventual Democratic presidential candidates in the upcoming election. Although he hasn’t made his candidacy official yet, he’s maintained an attention-grabbing profile while what’s now four other high profile Democrats have already formally indicated their candidacies, including Hawaii Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard, New York Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, former Obama administration official Julian Castro, and Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren, who only made an exploratory committee formal but is expected in the race.
Whoever wins the eventual Democratic primaries, they’ll have to take on presumed Republican nominee Donald Trump, who made his candidacy for re-election official in the very first days of his administration in yet another break with precedent. His campaign has been in close to full swing since then behind the scenes — and even while in the White House, he himself has stuck to a very campaign style line. At present, the federal government remains languishing through its longest shutdown ever because he won’t approve any funding without being able to fulfill his campaign promise to “Build the wall!”
Trump has personally sparred with already apparent candidates including Gillibrand and Warren in the past, the latter of whom he’s gone so far as to deride as “Pocahontas” literally while standing among Native Americans at the White House.
Trump has mocked Booker before too. Back in 2016 when the presidential race was in full swing, he mocked Booker as supposedly incompetent, declaring:
‘If Cory Booker is the future of the Democratic Party, they have no future! I know more about Cory than he knows about himself.’
More recently, Trump has dismissed Booker as supposedly having defrauded the people of Newark while he served as their mayor by not actually living in the city — although in reality, he did.
Carter, meanwhile, has confronted Trump’s rhetoric on numerous occasions, from his past baseless claims about voter fraud in the United States to his more recent false claims that “some” former presidents supported his push for a border wall. While Carter didn’t formally endorse Booker this weekend during the Senator’s road trip through Georgia, many eyes will no doubt be remaining on the Democratic presidential candidate field as it inches closer into position.
Featured Image via YouTube screenshot
