The 23-year-old, who rose to prominence after reading her poem “The Hill We Climb” at President Joe Biden’s inauguration, recently spoke with The Wall Street Journal Magazine about her plans to run for President in 2036 on a platform that includes climate change, sexual assault, and human trafficking.
While this isn’t Gorman’s first time speaking publicly about her political ambitions, she did share what motivates her to achieve the seemingly “impossible” aim.
“I think to make the impossible more proximate, you have to treat it as if it’s in reaching distance,” Gorman told the WSJ, adding, “I’ve always understood the potential of the presidency or political office to both be terrific and also toxic and terrible.”
The Harvard University graduate has wanted to be president of the United States since she was 11 years old, but her understanding of what it takes to get there has evolved over time, and she’s learned that by following in the footsteps of powerful women in politics like Hillary Clinton and Nancy Pelosi, she can stay true to herself while also leading.
“I used to think about it in the more traditional sense of, OK, we’re going to do this poetry thing for a little bit, and then you’re going to put the pen down and switch over to politics,” she said. “Being able to talk to people like Hillary Clinton and Nancy Pelosi, I realized I don’t have to change who I am to be a leader. If anything, those qualities will be what become my strength when I bring them into my field.”
“The Hill We Climb: An Inaugural Poem for the Country” author already has some notable women political figures in her corner rooting for her, including former first lady Michelle Obama. “Looking at her, I see someone who can help us draw even closer to a better, more inclusive America,” Obama. “Someone who will use her identity as a Black woman and her ability to connect with others to help reshape and repair the world around us.”
