Jesse Ventura hints at possible presidential run; ‘if not me, then who?'
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Former Minnesota Gov. Jesse Ventura hinted at a possible White House bid as an independent during an interview over the weekend, while harshly criticizing President Trump.
Speaking on Fox Los Angeles "The Issue Is," the onetime wrestling star and outspoken Minnesota pol said he would wait until the pool of presidential candidates dwindles further before possibly enterting the race.
“I may be doing things behind the scenes right now,” Ventura said, winking to host Elex Michaelson. “You gotta wait for it to get down to two, then you come in if you’re going to come in.”
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“I have that voice in the back of my head that says to me, ‘If not me, then who?'" he added.
He advocated for voters to elect an Independence Party candidate, lest the country grow even more polarized.
Professional wrestler Jesse Ventura leaves the Sirius XM Studios on October 13, 2015, in New York City. (Photo by Ray Tamarra/GC Images)
Ventura was elected to govern Minnesota in 1998 as a Reform Party candidate. In 2000, he joined the Independence Party of Minnesota.
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In addition to fueling campaign speculation, Ventura, 68, a former Navy SEAL, took issue with Trump joking in August that he wanted to award himself the Medal of Honor.
"This guy who claims to have had bone spurs got out of the Vietnam War because of it," he said. "He couldn't even do one day of boot camp to be a private."
Ventura added: "I don't want a religious person telling me about government. I don't want a government person telling me about religion. And I don't want a draft dodger telling about what's patriotic."
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He said Trump was corrupt because he "never tells the truth."
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TMZ reported last year that Ventura was flirting with a White House run on the Green Party ticket. At the time, he said that in the event of such a campaign bid, "Trump will not have a chance."
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Since leaving politics, Ventura has written several books, and he hosts “The World According to Jesse” on RT America.