John Kerry Won't Rule Out 2020 Run; 'We Are In A Moment Of Crisis'
WASHINGTON, D.C. (CBS) – Could former Secretary of State and senator from Massachusetts John Kerry make another run for the presidency?
In an interview with Face The Nation anchor Margaret Brennan, Kerry doesn't rule out a future White House bid but says "talking about 2020 right now is a total distraction and a waste of time."
"What we need to do is focus on 2018. We need to win back the confidence of the country to move in a better direction and to do it in sensible ways." Kerry said. "We are in a moment of crisis for our country. The world is in a moment of crisis."
Kerry says he'll "continue to be an activist" and "continue to fight" in the meantime. Key aspects of his legacy as secretary of state, such as the Iran nuclear deal and the Paris climate accord, have been upended by President Donald Trump's administration.
The interview also looks back at Kerry's unsuccessful 2004 campaign for president. Brennan asked if he regrets picking John Edwards, who would later be disgraced by a sex scandal.
"If you measure the qualities that you are looking for when you choose a vice president," Kerry says of Edwards, "it didn't measure up. It wasn't what we had hoped for."
Kerry and Brennan also discuss his relationship with the late Sen. John McCain. You can see the interview airing on CBS Sunday Morning and Face The Nation on WBZ-TV this Sunday.