Democratic New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez smiled and blushed on camera as she learned that Vice President JD Vance said he expected her to be the frontrunner for the 2028 Democratic presidential nomination.
The clip, shared by MeidasTouch on Tuesday, shows the young democratic socialist taking questions from reporters outside the Capitol before she’s asked about Vance. (RELATED: Socialist Upsets Dem Congresswoman Who First Took Office The Year She Was Born)
“JD Vance just said in an interview that he thinks you are going to be the leading Democratic candidate for president in 2028,” one reporter asked as AOC’s flushed cheeks turned into a toothy smile. “What’s your response to that?”
“I mean … um … you know … uh …,” AOC stumbled through her response, looking down with a wide grin and subtly biting her lower lip.
Reporter: JD Vance just said in an interview that he thinks you are going to be the leading Democratic candidate for president in 2028. What’s your response to that?
AOC: pic.twitter.com/s5qodMBiN1
— Acyn (@Acyn) June 30, 2026
“I hope he is. That’s what I’ll say,” she concluded before taking off away from the reporters and the Capitol.
The reporter called out, asking her to clarify whether she meant that she hoped Vance would serve as the Republican nominee, to which AOC shouted, “Yes.”
Vance recently sat down with Daily Wire host Michael Knowles to discuss the vice president’s new book, “Communion,” which documents his faith journey from Protestant to atheist to Catholic.
Near the end of the interview, Knowles asked Vance who he believed would be the leading Democrat in the next presidential election.
“I think it’s got to be AOC. I know that’s probably conventional wisdom,” Vance responded, drawing a little pushback from Knowles, who said the obvious choice would have been Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom.
.@VP tells @michaeljknowles about specific times in his life where he has felt the “touch of God,” leading him to a faith that goes beyond the intellectual:
“One glass kind of jumps off and shatters on the ground in the middle of this conversation.” pic.twitter.com/9Dfhpkw7cQ
— Daily Wire (@realDailyWire) June 30, 2026
“No, I don’t buy that,” Vance said, adding that Newsom had hurt his chances by telling a room full of black people that he, like them, had a low IQ.
He added that he is “fundamentally pessimistic about the Dems,” saying a socially pragmatic left focused on economic populism would stand a far better chance than relying on “crazy people,” specifically citing AOC’s calls to “tax the rich and give all the money to transgender baseball players who prey on your kids.” (RELATED: Lawmakers Kill Legislation Barring Convicted Pedophiles From Running For Office)
“Half of that equation is very politically popular. The part where you allow those same billionaires that you’re taxing to get rich by selling unlicensed pharmaceutical products to 12-year-old minors to gender transition them? That’s the part that makes most Americans go, ‘What the hell are you talking about?’” Vance said. “And, by the way, are you actually against the rich when your social values and your cultural values happen to align with the CEOs of nearly every major corporation?”