Sarah Palin Talks 2016 Bid, ‘Of Course’ She’s Interested

Is Sarah Palin going to run for president in 2016? Ahead of the Iowa Freedom Summit, the 2008 vice presidential nominee says she is seriously interested in a bid for the White House.

Palin may be interested in running for president, though it depends on what the word “interested” means, according to Politico. When Palin was asked late Friday night to clarify a statement she made to ABC News on Thursday in which she said “of course” she might run in 2016, the former Alaska governor says she’s not sure if “interested” is the right word.

“I don’t know what all the politically correct terminology is when you talk about being interested in having an opportunity to serve your country. So I don’t know if that’s the right terminology or not. As I said yesterday, I’m really interested in the opportunity.”

However, Sarah Palin is not yet interested in officially announcing she is up for a 2016 presidential bid. Palin told Politico that whether she is interested in running for president is a non-story right now… unless the media wants to make it a story.

“Without putting any words in my mouth, you can absolutely say that I’m seriously interested. It’s not a major story because 2016 really is still far off. I think it’s a major story because maybe you guys are bored.”

Palin again tries to explain what she means when she says she is interested in running for president.

“It’s a significant step, of course, for anyone to publicly announce that they’re interested. Who wouldn’t be interested? Who wouldn’t be interested when they have been blessed with an opportunity to speak about [issues important the country.] Who would just ignore an opportunity?”

Sarah Palin’s latest comments came as reporters were pressing her to explain a statement she made in an interview a day prior in which she indicated she might run for president in 2016. The former governor told ABC News on Thursday she has an interest in the presidency because she wants to continue to serve the public and thinks it is time for the glass ceiling to be broken.

“Yeah, I mean, of course, when you have a servant’s heart, when you know that there is opportunity to do all you can to put yourself forward in the name of offering service, anybody would be interested. We definitely had enough of seeing that — America has had enough of seeing that — sign on the Oval Office door saying, ‘No Girls Allowed.’ I know that.”

Sarah Palin is in Iowa to attend the Iowa Freedom Summit today, which some news outlets speculate is the kickoff of the GOP’s 2016 campaign. Other Republican presidential contenders, including NJ Governor Chris Christie and Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker, are speaking at the event hosted by Representative Steve King of Iowa and Citizens United.

[Photo courtesy of Tom LeGro]