Mathew Toro is 32 years old, but he says he has already spent six years preparing for a possible run for president of the United States in 2036.
Toro says this is not a sudden ambition, but a 16-year effort he began in 2020, when he was just 26 years old.
He calls 2036 “a date with American history.”
In this Lean to the Left podcast interview, Toro explains why he believes America needs what he calls an Economic Justice Revolution, how his own experiences shaped that idea, and what he still must accomplish before voters should regard him as a credible presidential contender.
A Long-Range Presidential Ambition
Toro describes himself as an author, artist, activist, boxer, and father.
He says his political thinking grew from personal hardship, frustration with corruption, and the belief that politicians spend too much time arguing about problems without developing workable solutions.
Toro has experienced homelessness, traveled across the country by bus, stayed in shelters, and slept in abandoned buildings and on rocks.
Those experiences, he says, exposed him to poverty, addiction, instability, and what he considers repeated failures of government and political leadership.
Rather than simply complain about those failures, Toro says he decided to build a movement around economic justice.
What Is the Economic Justice Revolution?
Toro’s central proposal would affect corporations earning more than $1 billion in annual net income.
Under his plan, companies would keep the first $1 billion untouched. Of the net income above that amount, 36 percent would be returned to the company’s workers.
Toro insists this would not be a government handout.
He describes it as a return of wealth to the employees whose labor helped create the company’s profits.
“We cook the pie,” he said. “We bake the pie. Let’s get some of that pie.”
Toro used Apple as an example, arguing that employees could receive substantial annual payments if his proposal were applied to the company’s profits and workforce.
He believes the additional income would help workers afford housing, healthcare, food, childcare, education, and other necessities.
Toro also argues that the plan would ultimately benefit businesses by giving consumers more money to spend.
In his view, companies cannot thrive indefinitely if their customers are increasingly unable to afford what they sell.
Is It Socialism?
Toro rejects the idea that his proposal should be viewed simply as a socialist program.
He says both liberals and conservatives are being denied the full value of their labor and believes working people across party lines could support his plan.
He describes the proposal as an “upgrade” to capitalism rather than a replacement for it.
Toro also says labor unions could play an important role in advancing the Economic Justice Revolution because the movement centers on workers receiving a greater share of the wealth they create.
On healthcare, he expressed support for universal preventive care as a possible compromise, while arguing that higher worker income would make other medical expenses more affordable.
A Candidate Without a Campaign Organization
Toro acknowledges that he does not currently have the infrastructure required for a serious presidential campaign.
He lacks professional staff, major funding, a national organization, ballot-access operations, and an established political network.
But he says that is precisely why he began planning so early.
Toro believes social media and online grassroots organizing may allow him to reach supporters more efficiently than traditional presidential candidates.
He says he has spoken with hundreds of people around the country and claims that many have encouraged him to run sooner.
“I’m barely half the man I’ll be in 2036,” he said.
Toro says the next ten years must be used to build credibility, develop support, and prepare himself for the demands of national leadership.
Experience, Education, and Political Readiness
Toro has not held elected office.
He earned a GED and has not completed higher education, although he says he continually educates himself and has considered studying economics or political science.
He also said he may seek a role in government or public service before 2036, though he has not committed to a specific office or political path.
That leaves important questions about whether he can build an organization, manage money, develop policy expertise, recruit qualified advisers, and demonstrate the judgment required of a president.
His answers were most detailed when discussing corporate profits, workers, economic hardship, and political corruption.
His foreign policy views were less developed.
When asked about war, alliances, China, Russia, and national security, Toro strongly criticized Donald Trump but offered few specific policies of his own.
That is a significant gap for anyone seeking the presidency.
The president is not only an advocate for domestic reform. The president is also commander in chief, chief diplomat, crisis manager, party leader, and head of a vast executive branch.
Can He Overcome Political Opposition?
Toro believes his economic proposal could attract overwhelming public support.
He argues that elected officials would face enormous pressure to approve it because workers across the political spectrum would benefit.
Asked what he would do if Congress refused, Toro said he would try to understand each lawmaker’s objections and persuade them that the program would help their constituents.
He also suggested that politicians who resisted could be voted out.
Toro appears confident that a sufficiently strong movement would make passage of his proposal nearly inevitable.
Critics may view that confidence as politically naïve.
Corporations, lobbyists, congressional leaders, courts, and entrenched financial interests rarely surrender power without a prolonged fight.
Whether Toro’s optimism represents vision or inexperience is something he will have to demonstrate over time.
Will He—and America—Be Ready?
Toro is passionate, ambitious, and clearly serious.
He also has a great deal to prove.
Over the next decade, he will need to show that he can do more than promote one bold economic idea.
He must build an organization, test his proposal, develop a broader governing agenda, gain experience, raise money, recruit advisers, withstand public scrutiny, and demonstrate the ability to lead people who do not already agree with him.
By 2036, Toro will be 42 years old.
America may also be very different.
The country could be more economically unequal, more politically divided, and more distrustful of conventional political leadership.
Or a new generation of voters may be ready to consider ideas and candidates that now seem improbable.
Toro is betting that the country will be ready for something dramatically different.
The question is whether he can make himself ready as well.
Watch the full Lean to the Left interview and decide for yourself.