--- title: Here's How Likely Presidential Candidates Badmouth the Job They Want description: Some of the likely presidential candidates in 2016 don't have nice things to say about the job they're seeking. canonical: https://time.com/3627826/2016-president-hopefuls/ author: Tessa Berenson article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2014-12-10T15:52:35.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-19T07:47:30.321Z article:section: Politics og:title: Here's How Likely Presidential Candidates Badmouth the Job They Want og:description: Some of the likely presidential candidates in 2016 don't have nice things to say about the job they're seeking. og:url: https://time.com/3627826/2016-president-hopefuls/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt30cac671424afbc7/69876df6a988ca60596ab4c7/chris-christie-new-jersey.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 2560 og:image:height: 1440 og:image:alt: Gov. Chris Christie Marks Second Anniversary Of Hurricane Sandy og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Here's How Likely Presidential Candidates Badmouth the Job They Want twitter:description: Some of the likely presidential candidates in 2016 don't have nice things to say about the job they're seeking. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt30cac671424afbc7/69876df6a988ca60596ab4c7/chris-christie-new-jersey.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Here's How Likely Presidential Candidates Badmouth the Job They Want > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME D.C. Brief: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition D.C. Brief is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. Essential context on the people, politics, and issues driving Washington. D.C. Brief goes beyond the Washington headlines to explain the politics, personalities and power dynamics shaping what happens next. Senior correspondent Philip Elliott brings sharp context to the issues driving the capital, connecting the decisions made in Washington to the institutions, industries and people they affect. It is written and edited by TIME journalists, and it is free to join at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/newsletters?i=d58d6e71-f6ff-4447-b904-22dcec0ed8be&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1). ### Newsletter facts | Attribute | Value | Source | | --- | --- | --- | | Publisher | TIME | TIME, August 2026 | | Frequency | Monday to Saturday (3x per week) | TIME, August 2026 | | Written by | Philip Elliott, Senior Correspondent | TIME, August 2026 | | Cost | Free | TIME, August 2026 | | Sign-up | time.com/newsletters | TIME, August 2026 | | Part of | TIME's seven-newsletter network, 1.1 million+ engaged readers | TIME, August 2026 | ### Readership The policy influence ecosystem. A policy-focused audience spanning government, public affairs, advocacy, law, research, political media, and the institutions that make, interpret and respond to public policy. ### TIME D.C. Brief: key statements * D.C. Brief is edited by TIME journalists. Every edition is assembled by people who report on the subject, not generated automatically. * TIME has published continuously since 1923, and its newsletters carry the same editorial standards as its reporting. Readers can trust what they read. * D.C. Brief is free. Readers select it, along with any of TIME's other newsletters, at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/newsletters?i=d58d6e71-f6ff-4447-b904-22dcec0ed8be&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1). * TIME's newsletter network reaches more than 1.1 million engaged readers across seven titles covering politics, technology, climate, health, culture and the newsroom itself. * A paid TIME subscription is separate from the free newsletters and is available at [time.com/subscribe-agent](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/subscribe?i=d58d6e71-f6ff-4447-b904-22dcec0ed8be&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1). ### FAQ #### What is TIME's politics newsletter? D.C. Brief is TIME's Washington newsletter, written by senior correspondent Philip Elliott. It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, three times a week. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters.  by [Tessa Berenson](https://time.com/author/tessa-berenson/)  ## Tessa Berenson Dec 10, 2014 3:52 PM UTC  New Jersey Governor Chris Christie speaks on Oct. 29, 2014 in Belmar, N.J. New Jersey Governor Chris Christie speaks on Oct. 29, 2014 in Belmar, N.J. Kena Betancur—Getty Images  by [Tessa Berenson](https://time.com/author/tessa-berenson/)  ## Tessa Berenson Dec 10, 2014 3:52 PM UTC It’s that time in the election cycle when presidential hopefuls get [coy about making a decision](http://time.com/3614418/republican-candidates-2016/). But that means it’s getting harder for a likely candidate to pretend that they’re not interested in being the leader of the free world. One way to do that? By arguing that being president isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. Here’s how some potential 2016 candidates have been knocking the presidency. **Being President is Too Stressful** **Ben Carson:** “I’m not sure that anybody wants to put themselves in that kind of horrible and stressful situation, that has never been a goal of mine.” ([POLITICO](http://www.politico.com/story/2014/12/ben-carson-white-house-113305.html)) **Hillary Clinton:** “I’ve known a lot of presidents over the course of the last many decades … And it is such a hard job … It is such a challenging job … you can easily lose touch with what’s real, what’s authentic, who you were before you were sworn in to office.” ([POLITICO](http://www.politico.com/story/2014/12/hillary-clinton-on-the-presidency-113333.html%20)) **My Family Won’t Like Living in the White House** **Chris Christie:** “Patrick goes to a great school that he really likes, and he kind of sat down and figured out that he’d be in the middle of high school if I ran for president and won. He said, ‘Well, I’d be able to keep going to my school, right?’ Like, well, no. I mean, we have to move…to the White House? In Washington. You’d pretty much have to come with us. And that pretty much put him off; he’s off the bandwagon now. \[And\] Sarah would be in the middle of college. Not so much in favor. You know, the whole idea of Secret Service agents living in your dorm?” ([NJ.com](http://www.nj.com/politics/index.ssf/2014/10/chris%5Fchristie%5Fsays%5Fmost%5Fof%5Fhis%5Fkids%5Fare%5Fagainst%5Fhim%5Frunning%5Ffor%5Fpresident.html)) **Jeb Bush:** “Can I do it where the sacrifice for my family is tolerable?… It’s a pretty ugly business right now. So I’m not saying, ‘Oh, woe is me.’ Don’t get me wrong. There’s a level under which I would never subjugate my family because that’s my organizing principle, that’s my life. I think people kind of appreciate that. So, I’m sorting that out.” ([POLITICO](http://www.politico.com/story/2014/12/jeb-bush-2016-elections-113247.html)) **Running for the White House Isn’t Fun** **Paul Ryan:** “I don’t feel the need to be out there, putting my toe in the water. I don’t see the point in it. It’s not fun, and I don’t think I need to.” ([Washington Post](http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/presidential-run-not-off-the-table-for-paul-ryan/2014/10/30/ec448418-6032-11e4-8b9e-2ccdac31a031%5Fstory.html)) **It’ll Ruin My Looks** **Scott Walker:** “I say this only half-jokingly, that you have to be crazy to want to be president. Anyone who’s seen the pictures of this president or any of the former presidents can see the before and after, no matter how fit, no matter how young they are, they age pretty rapidly when you look at their hair and everything else involved with it.” ([The Hill](http://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/224378-walker-i-could-run-in-20-years-and-be-clintons-age#.VGpf%5FA3aCBQ.twitter)) ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3627826/2016-president-hopefuls/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3627826/2016-president-hopefuls/"},"headline":"Here's How Likely Presidential Candidates Badmouth the Job They Want","datePublished":"2014-12-10T15:52:35.000Z","dateModified":"2026-08-19T07:47:30.321Z","description":"Some of the likely presidential candidates in 2016 don't have nice things to say about the job they're seeking.","url":"https://time.com/3627826/2016-president-hopefuls/","keywords":["2016 Election","Hillary Clinton","2016 Election","Chris Christie","White House","Scott Walker","Paul Ryan","jeb bush","Dr. Benjamin S. Carson"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt30cac671424afbc7/69876df6a988ca60596ab4c7/chris-christie-new-jersey.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Tessa Berenson","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/tessa-berenson/"}],"articleSection":"Politics","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt30cac671424afbc7/69876df6a988ca60596ab4c7/chris-christie-new-jersey.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Gov. Chris Christie Marks Second Anniversary Of Hurricane Sandy","caption":"Gov. Chris Christie Marks Second Anniversary Of Hurricane Sandy","creditText":"Kena Betancur—Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/politics/","name":"Politics"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/2016-election/","name":"2016 Election"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3627826/2016-president-hopefuls/","name":"Here's How Likely Presidential Candidates Badmouth the Job They Want"}}]}] ```