Democrat Warren enters 2020 White House race
WASHINGTON : US Senator Elizabeth Warren, a liberal firebrand who has taken on Wall Street and traded barbs with Mr Donald Trump, became the most prominent Democrat to announce a challenge to the Republican president next year on Monday.
Ms Warren said she had formed an exploratory committee, which will allow her to begin raising money to compete in what is expected to be a crowded Democratic primary field before the November 2020 presidential election.
She said on Twitter she would announce her decision on whether to run early this year.
Ms Warren, 69, a senator from Massachusetts since 2013, became one of Mr Trump's fiercest critics during the 2016 presidential race and they have continued to exchange biting insults during his presidency.
Mr Trump mockingly refers to her as "Pocahontas"due to her Native American ancestry.
She has denounced Mr Trump as an "insecure money grubber" with a platform of "racism, sexism and xenophobia," while Mr Trump has described the former Harvard Law School professor as "goofy"and a "lowlife" with "a nasty mouth".
On Monday, Ms Warren outlined her vision of a path to opportunity for all Americans and charged that the US middle class was under attack from corporate interests.
She later elaborated to reporters: "America's middle class is getting hollowed out and opportunity for too many of our young people is shrinking,"
"So I'm in this fight all the way. Right now Washington works great for the wealthy and the well connected.
"It's just not working for anyone else."
Mr Trump, in a phone interview with Fox News, said he would love to run against Ms Warren and again ridiculed her Native American ancestry.
The Democratic presidential field could eventually include Senators Kamala Harris, Cory Booker and Kirsten Gillibrand, as well as former Vice-President Joe Biden. - REUTERS
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