Sen. Mark Kelly appeared on Jimmy Kimmel's show on Nov. 25, 2025. (ABC/JimmyKimmelLive)
Kelly emphasized that any choice would involve discussions with his wife, Gabrielle Giffords, their daughters and his identical twin brother, also a former astronaut.
"You know, with my wife, Gabby, with my two daughters, and my brother, I have a twin brother who was also an astronaut. Think about for a second how this would affect him. We're identical twins," he said.
"So you know, I'll seriously consider this, because we are in some seriously challenging times right now," Kelly added.
Kelly’s comments came within days of two major developments in his standoff with the administration.
As previously reported by Fox News Digital, a federal judge blocked the Pentagon from demoting him Feb. 12 over a controversial video about "illegal orders."
A grand jury declined to indict him and five other Democratic lawmakers on seditious conspiracy charges.
The dispute is over a 90-second video Kelly recorded with fellow Democratic lawmakers reminding U.S. service members that they are not obligated to follow "illegal" commands.
"Our laws are clear," Kelly said in the clip. "You can refuse illegal orders."
SEN MARK KELLY LINKS TRUMP’S ‘DEATH’ POST TO CHARLIE KIRK ASSASSINATION, WARNS OF VIOLENCE
The Department of War received information regarding potentially unlawful comments made by Sen. Mark Kelly, according to a statement on Nov. 25. (Aaron Schwartz/CNP/Bloomberg via Getty Images; Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call Inc via Getty Images)
In the Feb. 17 interview with the BBC, Kelly also reflected on his career.
"I don't know if I would be the best person in this job. I am a lot different than most of these other 100 senators there are," he said.
"I'm one of the very few engineers. I'm the only person with a graduate degree in engineering in the United States Senate. I've got combat experience that's kind of rare," Kelly explained.
"I spent 25 years in the military. I didn't start out in some state legislature somewhere. I don't think of myself as a politician. I'm a Navy pilot who was so fortunate and so lucky, in fact, that I had the opportunity to fly this incredible spaceship, you know, four times and back."
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Kelly also struck a note of humility about a possible White House run.
"I never thought I'd find myself here. So I will obviously think about this. It's a serious decision. I just haven't made it yet," he added.
Fox News Digital has reached out to Kelly's office for comment.
Emma Bussey is a breaking news writer for Fox News Digital. Before joining Fox, she worked at The Telegraph with the U.S. overnight team, across desks including foreign, politics, news, sport and culture.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/mark-kelly-eyes-2028-white-house-run-fighting-trump-demotion-threat