Marianne Williamson, the self-help author and spiritual advisor, launched her 2024 presidential campaign Saturday in an unlikely space: Union Station, the transportation hub of Washington, DC, where commuters catch Amtrak and subway trains.
“It is our job to create a vision of justice and love that is so powerful that it overrides the forces of hate, injustice and fear,” Williamson told a crowd gathered in the station’s East Hall. candidate for the office of President of the United States.
Throughout much of his announcement speech, Williamson criticized economic inequality and the US system of government, calling it «inherently corrupt.» “I’m not saying one person can fix it, I’m not saying even a president can fix it. But let me tell you something, a president who sets the record straight and tells it like it is would do a lot of good,» she said.
Williamson was also running as the Democratic presidential nominee in 2020. While she had some viral moments during the campaign, she didn’t get any real traction as a candidate.
She also faced scrutiny for her previous comments about antidepressantsand for referring to vaccination mandates as «Orwellian» and «draconian».
So far, Williamson, 70, is the first candidate to enter the race for the 2024 Democratic nomination, launching a campaign ahead of even President Joe Biden, 80, who has strongly hinted that he will run again.
In an interview with NBC News on Friday before his release, Williamson said he thinks he can beat Biden in the Democratic primary, though he didn’t come close in 2020, and then beat either former President Donald Trump or Florida Gov. Ron. DeSantis in the general election.
«Those whose power and position are tied to maintaining the status quo paint me as an unlikely candidate,» Williamson said. “The problem is that the status quo is inadequate for the task of meeting the challenges before us today. And the status quo will not be interrupted. It is time for people to intervene.
“I am not challenging Joe Biden. I’m challenging the system.»
Williamson also said he plans to campaign in New Hampshire and South Carolina this month, and will also visit East Palestine, Ohio, where a train derailment has fueled political tensions between the two parties.
In the last presidential election cycle, he barely registered in national polls, ending his unlikely candidacy in January 2020.
Prior to her political career, Williamson was known as a best-selling author of self-help spirit guides.
micki fahner contributed.