Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) sparked discussion by speculating that the U.S. may have already had a gay president.
| PULSE POINTS |
❓ WHAT HAPPENED: Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) suggested that the United States may have already had a gay president. Ocasio-Cortez made the remark when asked whether the country would elect a female or gay president first. 💬 KEY QUOTE: “Well, we don’t know if we’ve already had a gay president to be honest with you. I think there are chances that maybe we have, but I don’t know.” – Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY). 📺 DETAIL: During an interview with TMZ on Wednesday, Ocasio-Cortez suggested that the U.S. may have had a gay President. Notably, there has been public speculation about the sexualities of previous U.S. presidents. In 2012, a Newsweek cover called Barack Obama “The First Gay President,” in a piece by Andrew Sullivan. Additionally, a Discovery+ program once portrayed Abraham Lincoln as a “queer hero,” though historians have widely and regularly debunked claims that Lincoln’s close male friendships were sexual. Furthermore, James Buchanan, Lincoln’s immediate predecessor, is sometimes alleged to be the first gay president. While Buchanan was a lifelong bachelor and had close male friendships, this is not regarded as serious or concrete evidence that he was secretly gay. 🎯 IMPACT: Ocasio-Cortez’s suggestion that the country may have already had a gay president reignites debate around the sexuality of Barack Obama, in particular. In 2023, Obama biographer David Garrow released a college love letter in which Obama stated, “I make love to men daily, but in the imagination.” His half-brother Malik Obama has said the Democrat is “definitely gay.” |
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez was asked if she believes whether a female or a gay president will move to 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. first. 🤔 pic.twitter.com/n5yCc0mOws
— TMZ (@TMZ) April 29, 2026
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