I resisted the urge to run my fingers through my hair. We'd had it set up that there would be a "Draft Trent" Committee for this whole campaign. It was probably too late to win Iowa, but it wasn't too late to get into the race. I pressed down on my suit, "How do I look?"

"Good. Surprisingly, older than JFK," Andromeda said, smiling.

"All that gray hair helps," I said, kissing her on the cheek. I was running to be the youngest President in American history, thirty seven. I had the fact that we had a pocket full of senators and universal name recognition going for me, though, and that I was an integral part of the team that had killed Thanos. But there were still mountains to climb.

"Can't wait to call you Mr. President," Andromeda said.

"Humility, Andromeda. I lost last time."

"To a Democrat in California," Andromeda replied, kissing me. "They'll see they need you."

I wasn't so sure. The split Congress had presided over the sharpest drop in cost of living in human history, medical expenses were in the dirt, energy costs were functionally zero. Insofar as I had particularly contributed, it was mostly in green jobs that were now trailing off. But I stood up straight and stepped out onto the stage of the Draft Trent event.

"Hello," I said, the handful of handpicked reporters here were friendlies if not members of Hydra. "I'm here today to address the question of whether or not I will run for the high office of the Presidency of the United States. I confess, I was not thinking of it a year ago. I had important work, vital work, that I couldn't do in office. It weighed heavy on me. But as this drafting effort began to take off and as I began to hear more and more about people hoping for principled leadership that moved us toward a more secure, united world with foresight and wisdom, the question started to weigh on.

I confess that I was going to say no, I wanted to say no. We have only just vanquished Thanos – I wouldn't have been opposed to a quiet retirement with my family, I've contribtued, I think, as much as anyone could have. To retire and sit beneath the vine tree that I had planted, to spend time on my family, I think I deserve that as much as most people. Clean airs, a secure homeland, peace, an unprecedented period of international cooperation. None of these were my achievements alone, but I had been a part of all of them.

But a few days ago, I was reading the scriptures, going through the book of Judges. I was reading the story of Abimelech. Jotham tells a parable that struck me to the core. In it, the trees go looking for a king. They go to the olive tree, to the fig tree, to the vine, and each says, in their own way, 'What I'm doing here already is important, it does good. I'm too busy for ruling.' And finally they come to this thornbush, this low, worthless shrub, and the thornbush says, 'Yeah, okay, I'll rule over you. But if you step out of line I'll kill you.' That's who they're left with as a king.

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Now, obviously America is not populated by talking plant life. It's not going to get a king." Which was true – Hereditary monarchy was such a waste of time. "But, if you'll follow the parable, it is my conviction that America deserves better than a thornbush – That I cannot allow the good things which I want to do, the important things that I can do, get between this great nation and whatever I can offer it.

The working men and women of this country need a champion, everyone with sweat on their brows or pain in their feet deserves someone who will fight to take back their rightful share of the American Dream. Everyone who has had to worriedly hover over their children, hoping that no strange power destroys them, deserves someone who will say, 'You're safe. America is strong.' They need someone who can stand up for them and for this country, who can keep them safe and keep America at the leading edge of innovation where it belongs.

I believe that I am that person.

The first place for me to start with that is me – We've begun transferring our assets into charitable funds, only keeping back 2% of it for myself and my family. That's more than enough for us to live on, comfortably for the rest of our lives. We've divided those funds up into long-term endowments as well as emergency relief funds, you can go see where the money is going on America I Am All In Dot Com. But sixteen billion dollars is more than I'll ever need. I want to dedicate half of that sum to the project of giving America the leadership that it deserves, so I'll be running off of it and, if I win the nomination, I'll be funding my run off of it. If I do not win the Democratic nomination, it is my full intention to donate those funds to the candidate I think best in the general election.

America, I am all in. We're going to do this, together. We're going to lead the world into a new dawn. Our flag, our liberty, and our decency will be known across the galaxy. God bless you all and may God bless America!"

The reporters we had hurried over for quotes and I gave them, thoughtful but ambiguous remarks on any controversial question, staunch support for research and development as well as the existing international alliance. Eventually, much later, I was sitting with Andromeda as we watched news rebroadcasts. "Do you think it'll play well with religious people?" I asked. Evangelicals weren't a huge block of the democratic coalition, I was insanely popular with the nones and atheists who were a major part of the democratic coalition thanks to Osiris, but there were lots of Black churches and Hispanic Catholics in the Democratic Party too and they were much less enthused about my immortality machines.

"I think you're going to be President," Andromeda said with all the confidence one would expect from her. Andromeda was almost incapable of perceiving me as able to fail, much less expecting it.

I was going to be the one who had to do all the worrying.