Elizabeth Warren’s reason not to run for president is a great reason to run for president

In an interview with Elizabeth Warren on Wednesday, Stephen Colbert asked the Massachusetts senator why she’s one of the few well-known politicians not running for president.

But Warren didn’t really answer the question. In fact, she gave an answer that sounds a lot like a case for her to run:

I’m out there every single day in the middle of a huge fight. And it’s a fight about what this country is going to look like going forward. The game is rigged. …

I’m talking about our country and how it’s run. Here we are, the richest country on Earth. We have so much going for us. And yet, we have a federal government that works great for millionaires, it works great for billionaires, it works great for giant corporations, for anybody who can hire an army of lobbyists, an army of lawyers, give lots of campaign money. For the rest of America, it’s just not working. And it’s time for us to take that government back and make it work.

Warren probably meant that she needs to remain in the Senate to carry out this fight rather than spend her time launching a presidential campaign.

But it’s worth noting that her stated reasons for not running are exactly why another candidate — Bernie Sanders — is running for president. His campaign has focused on reducing the influence of wealthy people on the political system. It was at the heart of his campaign announcement earlier this year: “This campaign is going to send a message to the billionaire class. And that is: You can’t have it all.”

Still, Warren has repeatedly said she’s not running for president. But who knows? Maybe she’ll repeat her comments to Colbert in 2020 or 2024 — during a campaign announcement.