'President' Edward Snowden? Here's What the Whistleblower Has to Say About That

Former defense contractor Edward Snowden commented on running for president sometime in the future.

What Happened: Snowden, who turned 40 years old on Wednesday, commented on running for the White House remotely in response to a question from a Twitter user.

He said, "I'd rather not." In a separate tweet, he posted a photo of him holding a birthday cake with candles. He seemingly addressed his wife Lindsay Mills. They live together in exile in Moscow, Russia.

Snowden said, "Who would have believed we’d make it so far? Love you, darling. Here’s hoping for many more years ahead."

Why It Matters: Snowden was granted Russian citizenship by President Vladimir Putin in September 2022. The former National Security Agency contractor had expressed his intention of obtaining Russian nationality without abandoning his U.S. citizenship.

He faces charges in the U.S. for stealing government property and has refused to come back to the country unless assured of a fair trial.

There is no restriction in running for U.S. president remotely, In fact, socialist Eugene V. Debs ran for the country's top executive post from prison about a century ago in 1920. He received nearly a million votes.

Debs was at that time in prison for sedition and promised to pardon himself if he was elected president. Notably, former President Donald Trump has made similar comments in the past.

Qualifications for running as a president include being a natural-born citizen and having attained at least 35 years of age and being 14 years a resident of the United States, according to the U.S. Constitution.

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