WASHINGTON — Georgia Democrat Stacey Abrams said she's considering all her options, including a possible presidential run, when thinking about her political future.
"I'm thinking about everything. I gave myself a deadline of the end of March to make a decision about what I'm going to do next," Abrams said in an interview with BuzzFeed News’ AM to DM, days after delivering the State of the Union rebuttal on behalf of the Democratic Party.
"I don't believe in cutting off opportunities, or forgoing ideas. But often what you find is: If you think about something beyond your scope, there's something in the middle you never thought about," she said.
Abrams also responded to the president's comments from an Oval Office meeting with reporters on Wednesday, when he said he doesn't think Abrams can win if she decides to run against Sen. David Perdue, a Georgia Republican, in 2020.
“I think it’s a mistake for her to run against him, because I don’t think she can win,” Trump told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Wednesday.
"I don't take political advice from Donald Trump," she said in response.
Trump: Stacey Abrams won't win if she runs agains David Perdue @staceyabrams:
Asked whether she thinks Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam should resign over the racist yearbook photo of him that emerged last week, Abrams said he and two other top Virginia Democrats who have been entangled in scandal this week should "take personal responsibility for their decisions." But she stopped short of calling for them to resign.
"I know this: These are men who have tried to do the right thing in their professional lives but I think they have to grapple with their private and personal decisions," she said, also referring to the sexual assault allegations against Virginia Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax.
"I know that this is a difficult issue. I believe racism is wrong, I believe racist words and racist deeds require amends," she added. "And I would ask the state of Virginia, especially the governor, to think about what amends looks like in their state."
In the lead-up to her State of the Union rebuttal, senior Democrats had been meeting with Abrams in hopes of convincing her to run against Perdue.
Abrams told AM to DM that in the hours before she gave the rebuttal on Tuesday night, she practiced her speech and spent a few hours watching old episodes of Doctor Who and "just kind of chilled out."