Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez says that because so many people in America “hate women” and “would never let that happen,” it is unlikely she could ever be elected president of the United States. In a wide-ranging and fawning cover interview with GQ magazine, the socialist firebrand New York Democrat speculated about the possibilities of her launching a future White House bid.
While she tries to hold onto the belief that anything is possible, Ocasio-Cortez said, her experience in Congress has “given me a front-row seat to how deeply and unconsciously, as well as consciously, so many people in this country hate women.” The 32-year-old, who was described in the article as the “political voice of a generation” and “bona fide culture celebrity,” also added, saying: “And they hate women of color.”
The democratic socialist continued, saying: “People ask me questions about the future. And realistically, I can’t even tell you if I’m going to be alive in September. And that weighs very heavily on me. And it’s not just the right wing. Misogyny transcends political ideology: left, right, center.”
“I admit to sometimes believing that I live in a country that would never let that happen,” she added. When young girls tell her they want her to be president one day, she struggles, she said, according to NY Post. “It’s very difficult for me to talk about because it provokes a lot of inner conflict in that I never want to tell a little girl what she can’t do. And I don’t want to tell young people what is not possible. I’ve never been in the business of doing that. But at the same time…” Ocasio-Cortez said.
The legislator claimed, in addition to being a woman, that her opposition to Wall Street could also hinder any potential bid for the presidency. “Could [former President Barack] Obama have gotten elected without the kind of financial support that he had? I don’t know,” she said. Also, she theorized how she’d face the wrath of the political system, from the Senate to the Supreme Court, that she says would impede her goals, even if she were to be elected commander-in-chief.
She claimed: “There are still plenty of limitations. It’s tough, it’s really tough.” The congresswoman spoke in the interview also about the “open hostility” she encountered from her own Democratic Party colleagues after taking office in 2018. “It was open hostility, open hostility to my presence, my existence,” said Ocasio-Cortez.
“Since I got here, literally day one, even before day one, I’ve experienced a lot of targeting diminishment from my party. And the pervasiveness of that diminishment, it was all-encompassing at times. I feel a little more steady on my own two feet now,” she added. “But would I say that I have the power to shift the elected federal Democratic Party? No,” she said. During the interview, Ocasio-Cortez also delved into her personal life and relationship with fiancé Riley Roberts, as well as why she decided publicly reveal she had been raped in her early 20s.
