Bernie Sanders has promised that New York representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez will play a "very, very important role" in the White House if he is elected president of the United States in 2020.
Asked during a joint ABC News interview with Ocasio-Cortez whether he would choose the 30-year-old as his running mate if she were old enough to run, Sanders heaped praise on his fellow Democratic socialist.
"Look, I've said this before, let me say it again and I don't want you to hear this because your head will explode," Sanders said, looking to Ocasio-Cortez. "I don't know of any person...who in the course of less than one year...has had more of an impact on American politics as a freshman member of Congress than she has."
"It's not only that she has focus on the real issues impacting the American people, like climate change, the usury rates that Wall Street are charging working people in this country, but she has been an inspiration...to working people all across this country and to young people in particular," Sanders said.
"I happen to believe that the future of this country depends on young people becoming increasingly involved in the political process and there's nobody I know that can do a better job inspiring young people than Alexandria," Sanders said.
Questioned on whether Ocasio-Cortez could potentially be given a position in his cabinet, Sanders said the New York representative would play a major role in the White House, but he did not elaborate.
"If I'm in the White House, she will play a very, very important role. No question. One way or another, absolutely," he said.
Already, Ocasio-Cortez appears to be playing a key role in drumming up support for Sanders.
In October, she gave him her endorsement and over the weekend, she brought her star power to an Iowa rally that saw more than 2,000 people show up to support the Democratic socialist candidate.
Speaking at the rally, Ocasio-Cortez praised Sanders for his efforts fighting for working families in America.
"When my parents struggled with being able to have health insurance, let alone me, Bernie was fighting for them," she said, according to Politico.
"He fought for me when I didn't have health care as a waitress. He fought for me when I graduated with over $20,000 in student debt," she said.
She also struck out at some of Sanders' Democratic opponents, appearing to take a jab at Pete Buttigieg's "Medicare for All Who Want It" proposal, asserting that "we're not going to get there with Medicare for some."
Real change, Ocasio-Cortez also said, does not come "through a technocratic policy proposal, but through a political revolution."
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Chantal Da Silva is Chief Correspondent at Newsweek, with a focus on immigration and human rights. She is a Canadian-British journalist whose work ... Read more
To read how Newsweek uses AI as a newsroom tool, Click here.
