A day before the rollout of Beto O’Rourke’s presidential campaign, Vanity Fair dropped a cushy profile of the candidate with his quote, “Man, I’m just born to be in it” splashed across the cover of the magazine — now O’Rourke says he regrets that.
Appearing on “The View” Tuesday, O’Rourke was asked if he regrets launching on the cover of Vanity Fair and if he regrets some of what he said in the lengthy profile.
“You’re right, there have been things that I have been privileged to do in my life that others cannot,” O’Rourke said. “And I think the more that I travel and listen to people and learn from them, the clearer that becomes to me.”
“The systematic, foundational discrimination that we have in this country — in every aspect of life — is something that I have not experienced in my lifetime,” the former Democratic representative from Texas added.
Beto O’Rourke on criticisms of his ‘Vanity Fair’ “born to be in it” remark: “I was attempting to say that I felt my calling was in public service — no one is born to be President of the United States of America.”
“I have a lot to learn, and I still am.” https://t.co/f8u2wc159S pic.twitter.com/eQ5TKpXdAa
— The View (@TheView) May 14, 2019
Asked by host Joy Behar if he thought the feature piece made him appear elitist, O’Rourke said he did.
“No one is born to be president of the United States of America, least of all me,” he said. “I have a lot to learn, and still am.”
O’Rourke, 46, is one of more than 20 candidates seeking the Democratic nomination for president. A RealClearPolitics national average of polls has him at 4.2% support.
