Beto O'Rourke admits launching campaign on the cover of Vanity Fair was a 'mistake' and confesses to white 'privilege' - then says Stacey Abrams should be his running mate
- Democratic presidential candidate Beto O'Rourke says he regrets launching his campaign on the cover of Vanity Fair because it showed his 'privilege'
- O'Rourke launched his campaign in a cover story titled 'Beto's Choice: His road to 2020 begins'
- He faced backlash for the article because of a comment he made where he said he was born to be president
- He clarified that he meant to say he felt his 'calling was in public service,' and claimed that 'no one is born to be president of the United States of America'
- O'Rourke also doubled-down on comments he made over the weekend where he said he would be 'fortunate' if Stacey Abrams would run as his vice president should he earn the nomination
- Abrams has said she does not want to 'run for second place' when dispelling rumors in March that she would run as VP on former Vice President Joe Biden's ticket
Democratic presidential candidate Beto O'Rourke admitted Tuesday that he regrets launching his campaign on the cover of Vanity Fair, and said the move reinforced his 'privilege.'
'Yeah, I think it reinforces that perception of privilege,' O'Rourke said when appearing on The View after co-host Joy Behar asked if it was a mistake and 'elitist' to appear on the cover of the magazine.
'In the article I was attempting to say that I felt that my calling was in public service,' Beto said in reference to claims that in the interview with Vanity Fair he said he was born to be president. 'No one is born to be president of the United States of America, least of all me.'
O'Rourke revealed during the interview for the April issue that he was running for president and was 'just born to be in it'.
'You can probably tell that I want to run,' he said. 'I do. I think I'd be good at it.'
Democratic presidential candidate Beto O'Rourke said he regrets launching his campaign on the cover of Vanity Fair, and admitted on The View Tuesday morning that the move reinforced his 'privilege'
The co-hosts at The View roundtable asked O'Rourke if the move could have come off as 'elitist'
O'Rourke launched his campaign in the April issue of Vanity Fair, and the cover story was titled 'Beto's Choice: His road to 2020 begins.' In the article, O'Rourke said he was born to be president
'I want to be in it. Man, I'm just born to be in it, and want to do everything I humanly can for this country at this moment,' O'Rourke told the magazine.
The former Texas congressman, who attempted to unseat Texas Senator Ted Cruz in the 2018 midterm elections, faced backlash for the mode in which he decided to announce his candidacy.
The View co-host Meghan McCain also asked about the cross-country road trip he took after losing to the incumbent senator, claiming that a 'female candidate wouldn't be able to get away with' that.
'You're right, there are things that I have been privileged to do in my life that others cannot, and I think the more that I travel and listen to people and learn from them, the clearer that becomes to me,' O'Rourke said, and went on to talk about wage inequality between men and women.
O'Rourke also said that if he were to earn the Democratic nomination, he would be 'fortunate' to run on the same ticket as Stacey Abrams.
'There are a number of women who aren't running, who may run, including Stacey Abrams, who is a real hero to me. The grace with which she met that defeat on an unfair, unlevel playing field for the secretary of state, perhaps rigging in part that election. Her focus on democracy forum, a new voting rights act, ensuring that every single vote counts in this country, is inspiring stuff at a time that our democracy is so badly broken,' O'Rourke said when asked about the prospect of Abrams running as his Vice President.
'If I were fortunate enough to be the nominee, it's hard to imagine a scenario where i wouldn't be fortunate enough to also be able to run with one of these extraordinary women in our country,' he continued.
The former Texas representative clarified that he meant to portray that he was born to be in public service. 'No one is born to be president of the United States of America, least of all me,' he told the ladies of The View
He also said while appearing in his first daytime TV interview since launching that he would be 'fortunate' if Stacey Abrams would run as his vice president should he win the Democratic nomination
O'Rourke originally floated the idea of choosing a female running mate when making a campaign stop in New Hampshire over the weekend
Abrams previously silenced rumors that she would not be running as former Vice President Joe Biden's VP if he won the nomination. She said, 'You don't run for second place'
The Democratic candidate was doubling down on comment he made at a campaign stop in Bedford, New Hampshire on Saturday where he expressed the same notion.
'It's hard for me to escape the conclusion that if I were lucky enough to be your nominee, that I wouldn't select one of these extraordinary women with whom I'm running right now, or other extraordinary woman who's not running right now.,' O'Rourke said at the event. 'Stacey Abrams is somebody that comes to mind to me right now.'
Although he did not explicitly pledge to run on a presidential ticket with a woman, New Jersey Senator and fellow Democratic candidate Cory Booker did made that vow when appearing on The View earlier this year.
In March, before Vice President Joe Biden had even announced he was running for president, there was buzz that Abrams would be his choice as VP if he won the nomination.
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Abrams told The View roundtable when appearing on the show in late March, that she had no interest in running for vice president.
'If I'm going to enter a primary, then I'm going to enter a primary,' Abrams said. 'You don't run for second place.'
Abrams lost her gubernatorial bid against then-Georgia Secretary of State Brian Kemp in the 2018 midterms.
Kemp won with 50.2 per cent of the vote, but Abrams claims she would have won had it not been for racist voter suppression laws.
Georgia has been Republican-controlled since 2003.
The former Georgia House minority leader also said April 30 that she would not be challenging Republican Senator David Perdue for his seat next year, despite Democrats pushing her to run and flip the seat blue.
