Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez discusses the presidency with GQ, says 'so many people in this country hate women'

While sitting down for an interview with GQ's Wesley Lowery, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., told him "so many people in this country hate women" during a conversation about whether the congresswoman believed she could "lead the country."

"Sometimes little girls will say, ‘Oh, I want you to be president,’ or things like that," Ocasio-Cortez said. "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…"

She added that she "holds" two contradictory thoughts in her mind when it came to the possibility of her leading the country. 

"One is just the relentless belief that anything is possible," the congresswoman told GQ. "But at the same time, my experience here has given me a front-row seat to how deeply and unconsciously, as well as consciously, so many people in this country hate women. And they hate women of color. 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."

Ocasio-Cortez continued, "And it’s not just the right wing. Misogyny transcends political ideology: left, right, center. This grip of patriarchy affects all of us, not just women; men, as I mentioned before, but also, ideologically, there’s an extraordinary lack of self-awareness in so many places. And so those are two very conflicting things. I admit to sometimes believing that I live in a country that would never let that happen."

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Lowery said a top adviser to a progressive official told him that Ocasio-Cortez was "destined to inherit the leadership of the movement." 

"All of the progressive political operatives that I spoke with said they were heartened by the number of leaders their movement has produced in recent years. Yet they all agree, when granted the ability to speak freely, that there is something special about the congresswoman," he wrote. 

The congresswoman told GQ that her opposition to Wall Street would be an obstacle if she were to rise even further. 

Lowery added that if she were to be elected president, she would face a "system" that is "inclined to thwart her most sweeping ambitions." 

"There are still plenty of limitations," she told the magazine. "It’s tough, it’s really tough."

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Ocasio-Cortez added that Congress "moves last" and said that was the reason why they didn't codify Roe v. Wade. 

"Because it’s easier to just let the courts do it," the progressive congresswoman said. "We’re going to need robust mass movements that have already started. We’ve seen it in the labor movement, we’ve seen it in racial justice, and we’re going to need to continue to build that while also ensuring that we are staving off the very real threat of fascism in losing the House or Senate." 

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The congresswoman recently would not confirm if she would support President Biden in a re-election bid in 2024, during an interview with CNN's Dana Bash. 

"You know, if the president chooses to run again in 2024, I mean, first of all, I'm focused on winning this majority right now and preserving a majority this year in 2022," Ocasio-Cortez said in June. "So, we'll cross that bridge when we get to it … I think if the president has a vision and that's something certainly we're all willing to entertain and examine when the time comes."

Bash noted, "that's not a yes."