Michigan Congressman Justin Amash indicated over Twitter that he was considering a run for president following a daily press briefing where President Donald Trump said "I have the ultimate authority" to order states to reopen.
In a tweet shared Monday night, Amash, who left the Republican Party in 2019 over fears of America's two-party system, wrote: "Americans who believe in limited government deserve another option" after quoting Trump. Someone replied saying "please be you" before Amash responded "Thanks. I'm looking at it closely this week."
Amash has been a frequent critic of Trump and one of the only conservative members of Congress to express his misgivings with the president in public. Before Democrats launched an impeachment inquiry into Trump, Amash had called for the president's removal near the end of the special counsel's investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election.
Amash initially announced his decision to leave the Republican Party in an op-ed written in the Washington Post after saying he had become "disenchanted with party politics." Trump called the move "great news."
The west Michigan representative is up for reelection in his district this year, indicating he would run as an Independent in 2019.
Trump's comments were made as the country contemplates when and how it plans to restart the economy. While it's unclear how that might happen, there's even more ambiguity over the timing considering the uncertainty of COVID-19. Trump initially said he wanted to reopen the country by Easter, a move that many public health officials said was too early and could spur more outbreaks.
Many governors are pondering the same question. In Michigan, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has warned reopening too early would disastrous and deadly, despite signs the outbreak in the state was diminishing.