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Hillary Clinton ’s former campaign manager has poured cold water on speculation that she is planning to launch another bid for the White House.
John Podesta said the 2016 Democratic candidate had insisted she was not seeking to run for president again in 2020.
“I take her at her word. She’s not running for president,” he told CNN .
The broadcaster reported earlier this week that Ms Clinton had not ruled out a second bid to defeat Donald Trump.
She reportedly told friends she was “not closing the doors” on her Oval ambitions.
Show all 23 1 /23Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Joe Biden The former vice president - poised to be a frontrunner - has announced his run. He recently faced scrutiny for inappropriate touching of women, but was thought to deal with the criticism well
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Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Bernie Sanders The 2016 runner-up has announced that he will be running again in 2020
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Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Hillary Clinton The 2016 Democratic presidential candidate and former Secretary of State says she is “still considering” whether she will run again.
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Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Pete Buttigieg The Indiana mayor and war veteran will be running for president. If elected, he would be the first openly LGBT+ president in American history.
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Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Kamala Harris The former California attorney general will be running for president in 2020. Introduced to the national stage during Jeff Sessions’ testimony, she has endorsed Medicare-for-all and proposed a major tax-credit for the middle class.
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Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Elizabeth Warren The Massachusetts Senator has formally launched her bid for president in 2020. A progressive Democrat, she is a major supporter of regulating Wall Street.
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Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Beto O’Rourke The former Texas congressman told Oprah Winfrey that he “has been thinking about running for presidency”, but stopped short of formally announcing his bid to run in 2020.
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Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Wayne Messam Mayor of the city of Miramar in the Miami metropolitan area, Wayne Messam has announced his bid. He intends to run on a progressive platform against the "broken" federal government. He favours gun regulations and was a signatory to a letter from some 400 mayors condemning President Trump's withdrawal from the Paris Climate Accord.
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Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Kirsten Gillibrand The New York Senator formally announced her presidential bid in January, saying that “healthcare should be a right, not a privilege.”
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Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Cory Booker The New Jersey Senator has announced that he will be running for the presidency in 2020. If he secures the nomination he said finding a female vice president would be a priority.
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Who could be running against Trump in 2020? John Delaney The Maryland congressman was the first to launch his bid for presidency, making the announcement in 2017.
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Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Julian Castro The former San Antonio mayor announced his candidacy in January and said that his running has a “special meaning” for the Latino community in the US.
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Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Tulsi Gabbard The Hawaii congresswoman announced her candidacy in January, but is likely to face tough questions on her past comments on LGBT+ rights and her stance on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
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Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Andrew Yang The entrepreneur has announced his presidential candidacy, and has pledged that he would introduce a universal basic income of $1,000 a month to every American over the age of 18.
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Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Marianne Williamson The author and spiritual advisor has announced her intention to run for president. She had previously run for congress as an independent in 2014 but was unsuccessful.
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Who could be running against Trump in 2020? John Kerry The former secretary of state has said he is still thinking about whether to run.
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Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Michael Bloomberg The entrepreneur and former New York mayor– with a net worth of around $50bn – has said he will decide by the end of February whether to seek the presidency.
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Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Howard Schultz Former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz has not yet ruled out running for president in 2020, despite criticism that his bid could help re-elect Mr Trump by dividing the Democrat vote.
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Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Eric Holder The former attorney general has said he will decide in “the next month or so” whether to run as a 2020 presidential candidate.
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Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Eric Swalwell The California congressman said he is “ready to do this” and will decide before April whether to run.
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Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Terry McAuliffe The former Virginia governor, who worked to elect Democratic governors during 2018 midterms, said there was a “50 per cent” chance he would run.
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Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Sherrod Brown The Ohio senator is still undecided about whether to run for president in 2020.
Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Mitch Landrieu The former New Orleans mayor said he doesn’t think he will run for president, but “never say never”.
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During an interview with Ern Burnett on Tuesday, Mr Podesta dismissed the speculation as “media catnip”.
“She says she’s not running for president,” he added. “She’s in Puerto Rico, trying to help the people that Donald Trump has abandoned, through the Clinton Foundation.
“I think she would have been a great president but that’s in the past and she said she’s not running.”
His comments contradict those of Mark Penn, a former aide to Ms Clinton, who said in November she was all but certain to launch another bid for the White House.
Support free-thinking journalism and attend Independent events There is likely to be a crowded field of Democrat contenders vying to be the party’s candidate for 2020.
Thousands of supporters watched California senator Kamala Harris launch her bid on Sunday. Former House representatives John Delaney and Tulsi Gabbard are also in the race, as is Julian Castro, who served as housing secretary in Barack Obama’s cabinet.
Senators Elizabeth Warren and Kirsten Gillibrand are also eyeing campaigns.
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