AOC follows Biden’s example by avoiding interviews with the national media.

Ocasio-Cortez Positioned for 2028 Candidacy

Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez from New York seems to be following a strategy similar to that of President Biden.

As a prominent figure among progressives and part of the well-known “Squad,” Ocasio-Cortez has recently surfaced in early 2028 primary polling as a presidential candidate. She is joined by former Vice President Kamala Harris, California Governor Gavin Newsom, and former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. Additionally, some of her Democratic Party supporters are speculating about a potential primary challenge against Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.).

Despite the attention she’s attracting, Ocasio-Cortez has kept a relatively low profile compared to Harris and Newsom. Axios pointed out her “hide-and-seek strategy with the press,” noting that she has engaged in far fewer interviews than other candidates.

AOC’s Media Engagement

Her last significant interview with a national outlet was on NPR back in February, followed by other appearances on CNN and a YouTube show. Interestingly, she has only participated in a couple of interviews with major broadcasters since facing criticism for her performance at the Munich Security Conference.

Recently, she chatted with local New York TV stations and did a podcast with actress Ilana Glazer. On a different note, she met with David Axelrod, a former adviser to Obama, at the University of Chicago, where she discussed her political aspirations.

Press Interactions

While she chose not to comment for the Axios article, her chief of staff stated that Ocasio-Cortez frequently takes questions from the press, insisting that anyone with credentials can easily find her at the Capitol.

This stance echoes what Biden’s team has said in defense of his own media engagement. Over his term, Biden often faced scrutiny for being less accessible, especially during stretches without interviews. In 2022, for example, he conducted only seven sit-down interviews.

Biden’s press secretaries, Jen Psaki and Karine Jean-Pierre, have both defended his press interactions. They emphasized that he takes questions several times a week, and some defended him by noting it’s unusual for a president to deal with numerous tough questions.

Critics, however, counter that fleeting questions often don’t allow for the depth that follow-up questions might offer during sit-down interviews.

Although Ocasio-Cortez has been less visible in the national discourse lately, she is quite active on social media. She regularly posts videos for her substantial following on platforms like TikTok and Instagram.