Democratic Gov. Jay Inslee (Wash.) on Thursday likened the "emergency" to defeat President Donald Trump in 2020 to the emergency that he declared on measles in the state of Washington.
Inslee appeared on MSNBC's "Meet the Press Daily" with host Chuck Todd, where he talked about former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz potentially running as an independent during the 2020 presidential election. Todd asked Inslee whether the former boss of the Seattle coffee giant might run as a Democrat or an independent.
Inslee said that he didn't know because Schultz didn't really talk with public officials often. He then said Schultz needs to think about his "legacy" and rethink his strategy of potentially running as an independent, something which many Democrats believe would help Trump win reelection.
"If he wants to run, he is welcome to run as a Democrat, welcome to the pool. Don't be afraid of running in a place that actually can help people make decisions," Inslee said about Schultz. "His candidacy is not just a distraction. It is a potential fatal disease, if you will, infecting us with Donald Trump for another four years. We cannot have that. I just declared an emergency for measles in my state and this is an emergency as well."
He went on to say directly to the camera, as if he was talking to Schultz, instructing him not to run and warned him that he will hear a lot of opposition at his event Thursday night.
Since Schultz's appearance on "60 Minutes" Sunday night, liberals have slammed the former boss of the Seattle coffee giant for considering an independent instead a run in the Democratic primary. Neera Tanden, the president of the Center of American Progress, even threatened to organize a "boycott" against Starbucks if Schultz officially runs as an independent, calling it a "vanity project."
Washington officials on Friday declared a state of emergency regarding the measles outbreak, and there may be more than 50 cases in the Evergreen State.