Former Obama administration attorney general Eric Holder said Wednesday that if he ran for president, he would do so from concluding he could unify the country.

That statement came during an exclusive interview with New York Times reporter Alex Burns. Burns noted that Holder has become much more ambiguous about whether he could run for president in 2020 and asked about his general thoughts.

"If you were gonna do it, why would you do it. If you didn't do it, why would you not do it?" Burns asked.

"If I were gonna do it, I'd do it because I think I would have concluded that maybe I could unify the country," Holder said.

He then clarified, "help unify the country, because it's bigger than any one person."

"That I could advance—actually, that I could repair then advance the nation in a variety of contexts. That I thought I had something to contribute, that would be the thing that would push me toward considering a run," Holder said.

Holder said the strain on his family is the main reason he would choose not to run for president.

"I remember some unpleasant hearings with some congressmen who are now leaving. I'm going to miss them," he said. "To subject myself and my family to that again could be a negative."

He said he was able to dismiss the "politics" associated with being attorney general, but he said it was difficult for his wife, who paid more attention to the media.

"The thought of going back to public life is something I'd obviously have to consider," he said.