Trump sat for a phone radio interview Wednesday afternoon with Hugh Hewitt, during which he was asked if Ocasio-Cortez’s “charisma” would be enough to secure the nomination.
“I think you’re right about the charisma,” Trump responded. “I don’t know about her speaking ability. I don’t know about her debating ability. I don’t know how she is in an interview because you rarely see her being interviewed, rarely, and that’s a bad thing.”
“She still has to answer questions, and I haven’t seen that yet,” he continued. “You have to be able to speak in front of large crowds. Her voice is a little different. I won’t say it’s bad, but it’s a little squeaky. And a squeaky voice, I’m not sure that sells.”
Since January, Ocasio-Cortez, the youngest woman ever elected to Congress, has embarked on a nationwide “Fighting Oligarchy” tour in partnership with Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT). Numerous political strategists have pointed to the campaign as Ocasio-Cortez sowing the seeds for a 2028 presidential bid.
Though Democrats have floundered to find a national party leader to rally behind since Trump won the 2024 election, Republicans are similarly dealing with a murky 2028 picture.
Trump and his allies have flirted with the idea of the president unconstitutionally running for a third term next general election cycle, but Trump himself backed off that idea in a Sunday interview with NBC News.
TRUMP SAYS HE WON’T DROP 145% CHINA TARIFFS TO ADVANCE NEGOTIATIONS, AS REQUESTED BY BEIJING
“This is not something I’m looking to do. I’m looking to have four great years and turn it over to somebody, ideally a great Republican, a great Republican, to carry it forward,” he told Kristen Welker before naming both Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio as potential successors.
Listen to the interview in full below.
