Ocasio-Cortez Says Ambition Is to Change Country When Asked About 2028 Run

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said her ambition is "to change this country" when asked about potential runs for president or higher office in 2028. The New York Democrat made the remarks Friday at a political forum hosted by the University of Chicago Institute of Politics.

Democratic strategist David Axelrod directly asked her whether she planned to run for president or challenge for a Senate seat. Ocasio-Cortez replied that observers assume her ambition is positional. "They assume that my ambition is a title or a seat," she said.

"And my ambition is way bigger than that. " She listed policies she wants to make permanent. "Presidents come and go; Senate, House seats, elected officials come and go, but single-payer healthcare is forever," Ocasio-Cortez continued. "A living wage is forever.

Workers’ rights are forever. " The comments came days after she faced criticism for saying billionaires cannot truly earn their wealth without the work of others. She described the blowback as "a veiled threat" against her potential presidential ambitions.

"This was the elite saying, if you want this job, you just stepped out of line," she said. "What use is a gavel, what use is a seat if it doesn’t result in anyone’s life changing for the better," she told the audience. She described the freedom of not having lifelong aspirations for a particular office.

"When you haven’t been fantasizing about being this or that since you were seven years old, it is tremendously liberating," she said. Instead, she wakes up each day assessing conditions. " Ocasio-Cortez explained. " She said she observes the country each morning and asks what decision will move it closer to a better future.

The approach, she added, avoids working backward from a desired title.

Ocasio-Cortez did not close the door on any future role.