reaction tonight has already been swift. and over the weekend, 20,000 turning out for senator kamala harris. here s abc s mary bruce. reporter: democrats warn he could cost them the white house. but former starbucks ceo howard schultz isn t backing down. if i run for president, i will run as an american, under one banner, the american flag. reporter: schultz, a lifelong democrat, would run as an independent. both parties are consistently not doing what s necessary on behalf of the american people. reporter: but former new york mayor michael bloomberg, who himself considered an independent run, insists an independent would just split the anti-trump vote and end up re-electing the president. the democratic field is already getting crowded. california senator kamala harris kicked off her campaign this weekend before a crowd of more than 20,000 people. we must answer a fundamental question. who are we? who are we as americans?
snow in mississippi and alabama. atlanta, winter weather advisory. worst of it is north of atlanta. we ll watch that commute carefully this morning. word to the wise stay inside. i wrote some notes down. sorry, guys. read teleprompter. i got word of bill s forecast and i decided to leave the country. i thought we were sending you to chicago. what happened? i got on the wrong flight. i ended up in london. hopefully it s warmer there than here. still ahead, howard schultz isn t backing down from a potential 2020 run. we ll show you how he s responding to some of his critics. i recommend pronamel because it helps protect and strengthen your enamel. it s pro enamel. it s the positive thing.
still ahead former starbucks ceo howard schultz isn t backing down from a potential 2020 run. he has a message for his critics. what about a message for potential voters. senator dick durbin will be our guest. you re watching morning joe . we ll be right back. from the very beginning . it was always our singular focus,
our town. this used to be the home, the motor city, the capital tool and dye, the tool and dye industry, the automotive industry and it s starting to come back. he likes that the president isn t backing down on his awall even if it means shutting down the government. you have to do what you have to do. it s something that is necessary to come to the united states, you have to come the right way. reporter: do you think that there is anything that the president could do that would make you shy away from him at all? no, because, you know what? i ve only been around 54 years, but i just think that to take that position, god bless him. reporter: is there anything the president could do to put him in a better light in your eyes? leave. step down. reporter: in another part of the county over a plate of gu losh, democrat mark after thor
reporter: he likes that the president isn t backing down on his wall, even if it means shutting down the government. you have to do what you have to do. it s something that s necessary to come to the united states. you have to come the right way. reporter: do you think there is anything that the president could do that would make you shy away from him i just think to take that position, god bless him. is there anything the president could do to put him in a better light in your eyes? he can step down. reporter: in another part of the county, democrat mark aster is eager to talk about the shutdown. do you see this being resolved anytime soon? i don t. he is that stubborn.