People Are Applauding AOC's Refreshing Take On Her Political 'Ambition' After She Was Called Out As A 'Likely 2028 Presidential Candidate'

When asked about her future political ambitions during an appearance at the Institute of Politics at the University of Chicago, New York Democratic Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez was notably candid, saying her "ambition is to change this country," as she ripped a Washington Post editorial that tried to knock her down a peg for her take on the morality of billionaires.

The progressive is not currently considered the frontrunner in early 2028 Democratic primary polling but some surveys suggest she has already emerged as a serious contender in what is expected to be a crowded field.

For instance, an Echelon Insights survey released last month showed former Vice President Kamala Harris leading likely Democratic voters with 47 percent support. Gavin Newsom and former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg each received 37 percent support, while Ocasio-Cortez trailed closely behind at 36 percent.

In addition, a May 7 Washington Post editorial floated her as a potential 2028 contender even as they tried to berate her for her criticism of billionaires during a podcast appearance last week.

The WaPo Ed Board's take:

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-New York) doesn’t just think there should be no billionaires. She believes accumulating that much wealth is inherently immoral, probably criminal and definitely illegitimate.
“You can’t earn a billion dollars,” the socialist congresswoman said in a podcast interview with comedian Ilana Glazer published Thursday.

The likely 2028 presidential candidate is arguing that there is no idea anyone can have, or company anyone can start, or value anyone can generate for others, that could possibly be worth a billion dollars.

Against this backdrop, David Axelrod, a former senior adviser to former President Barack Obama who is the founder and director of the Institute of Politics, asked Ocasio-Cortez the following:

"There are a lot of people who would like you to run for president in 2028...There are others who would like you to run for the United States Senate...What say you about all of this?"

With the Editorial top of mind, Ocasio-Cortez replied:

"You know, it's funny because in this op-ed that Jeff Bezos paid for in The Washington Post, there was this line you had mentioned earlier about 'As a potential 2028 contender, XYZ,' and in the context of that, it was very clear that this was a veiled threat."

"It was the elite saying, 'If you want this job, you just stepped out of line, and we want you to know where the real power is. And it's in the modern-day barons who own the Post and own the algorithms, and 'We're gonna —we'll make an example out of you.'"

"What's funny about that is they assume my ambition is positional. They assume my ambition is a title or a seat. My ambition is way bigger than that. My ambition is to change this country."

"Presidents come and go, Senate, House seats, elected officials come and go, but single-payer healthcare is forever. A living wage is forever. Workers' rights are forever, women's rights, all of that."

"When you aren't attached, when you haven't been fantasizing about this or that since the time you were seven years old, it is tremendously liberating because I get to wake up every day and say, 'How am I going to meet the moment?'"

"Conditions change radically all the time. So, I make my response less to an attachment to some positional, you know, like title or position and working backwards from there, but I make decisions, by waking up in the morning, looking out the window, and observing the conditions of this country, and saying, 'What move, or what decision can I make today that is going to get us closer to that future, stronger, faster, better than yesterday.'"

You can hear what she said in the video below.

The full interview is below:

- YouTube www.youtube.com

Many applauded AOC's response.

Ocasio-Cortez's remarks were well received by Democratic strategist Joel Payne, who said she "spoke with the confidence of someone who understood the power of their voice nationally and the knowledge that she has the option to mount a national campaign should she ever choose to do that."

Payne said it is "impressive" that Ocasio-Cortez was "able to assess her value beyond the office she holds," adding that “she’s going to walk into a presidential race, if she chooses to, with 20 percent of the base of the Democratic Party feeling good about her.”