Alexandria Ocasio-cortez Says Ambition Is Bigger Than 2028 Run

alexandria ocasio-cortez said Friday in Chicago that her ambition is not to seek a title such as president, Senate or House seat. Speaking with Democratic strategist David Axelrod, the New York Democrat said her goal is to change this country, even as questions continue about a possible 2028 presidential run.

Chicago With David Axelrod

Ocasio-Cortez said, "They assume that my ambition is positional; they assume that my ambition is a title or a seat. And my ambition is way bigger than that. My ambition is to change this country." She made the remarks at an event Friday in Chicago.

She added, "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."

Elon Musk Remarks

The comments followed earlier backlash over her remarks about billionaires such as Elon Musk not truly being able to earn a billion dollars without the work of others. Ocasio-Cortez said, "This was the elite saying, if you want this job, you just stepped out of line."

She also said, "What use is a gavel, what use is a seat if it doesn’t result in anyone’s life changing for the better." Later, she said, "When you haven’t been fantasizing about being this or that since you were seven years old, it is tremendously liberating."

House, Senate, White House

Ocasio-Cortez said she can change the country from "the House, Senate, White House or the mountains of Upstate New York being a burnout." She said she makes decisions by waking up, looking out the window and observing the conditions of the country.

She also recalled walking onto the Senate floor as a freshman House member and thinking, "Wow, everyone here thinks they’re going to be president." Her remarks put the focus back on how she describes her political goals, rather than on a formal 2028 campaign announcement.