‘Because of my Instagram posts?' AOC swerves questions on 2028 presidential run
Democratic Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has brushed aside speculation that she could be preparing a presidential run in 2028.
With her party still reeling from former vice president Kamala Harris's defeat last November, the New Yorker has emerged as a leading light of its progressive wing . Recently she crossed the country with Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders on a joint 'Fighting Oligarchy' speaking tour that has attracted large crowds.
Ocasio-Cortez has also drawn focus by posting a campaign-style video on social media this month showcasing clips from the tour that some have seen as a hint at her future White House ambitions.
Asked whether that was the case by a Fox News Digital reporter on Capitol Hill on Tuesday, the Democrat appeared surprised, answering mockingly: 'Because of my Instagram posts?'
Pressed for a response, she said: 'Look, it's a video. Frankly, what people should be most concerned about is the fact that Republicans are trying to cut Medicaid right now and people's healthcare. It's a danger and that's really what my central focus is.'
Ocasio-Cortez was also asked about recent favorable polling, including a Yale University survey that found that she was the second most popular Democratic presidential contender ahead of the next election, behind only Harris.
'To me, this moment is not about campaigns or elections or about politics. It's about making sure people are protected,' she said.
'And we've got people that are getting locked up for exercising their First Amendment rights, we're getting two-year-olds getting deported into cells in Honduras, we're getting people about to get kicked off of Medicaid. That, to me, is the most important thing.'
In the video in question, Ocasio-Cortez is seen speaking with Sanders in Nampa, Idaho, on April 14 and telling their audience: 'Don't let them trick us into thinking we are enemies.
'Don't let them trick us into thinking that we can be separated into rural and urban, Black and white and Latino. We are one.'
The clip also reminds viewers that the congresswoman was once a waitress from the Bronx. 'Impossible is nothing,' she tells the crowd.
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