Amanda Gorman – ‘transfixed’ Anderson Cooper says poet, 22, should run for president in 2036 after inauguration reading
CNN host Anderson Cooper told poet Amanda Gorman that she should run for president in 2036 in an interview that left him speechless.
The TV host was visibly blown away by 22-year-old inauguration poet from Los Angeles.
She revealed that she used a mantra to prepare herself for the biggest audience of her life so far.
Speaking on CNN, she said: "Whenever I perform — and I definitely did it this time — I close my eyes and I say ‘I'm the daughter of Black writers.
"We're descended from freedom fighters who broke their chains and changed the world. They call me,” said Amanda.
“The poem isn’t blind. [January 6] gave me a second wave of energy to finish the poem,” she told AP News in reference to the January 6 Capitol riots.
“It isn’t turning your back to the evidence of discord and division.”
In other writings, Gorman has honored her Black ancestors, acknowledged and reveled in her own vulnerability.