Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) is one of the most progressive members of Congress, frequently standing up for immigrants, the LGBTQ+ community, and working-class Americans despite being leveled with frequent attacks from MAGA politicians.
Through a grassroots campaign, AOC was able to go from working as a bartender and volunteer for Sen. Bernie Sanders to Capitol Hill where she’s managed to make an impression as one of four ultra-progressive congresswomen known as “The Squad.”
Now, she stays in the headlines by fighting for marginalized groups, workers' rights, and green initiatives and for verbally crushing Republicans who try to stand in her way. She speaks with power, is quick-witted enough to leave Republicans reeling, and refuses to let MAGA politicians insult her or walk all over her!
Calling Trump's Border Czar a 'coward'
After holding an online “know your right” seminar for her constituents, many of whom are immigrants, Ocasio-Cortez was threatened by Trump’s controversial new “Border Czar” Tom Homan, who went on Fox News twice in one day to announce that he's working with the Department of Justice to investigate whether the congresswoman’s webinar was helping people evade U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Ocasio-Cortez didn’t let the threat stand. Instead, she shot back by calling out Homan for being a “coward” and pointing out that everything she said was protected by the 4th Amendment.
“This is why you fight these cowards," she wrote on Bluesky. "The moment you stand up to them, they crumble. Homan has nothing. The Fourth Amendment is clear and I am well within my duties to educate people of their rights. He can threaten me with jail and call names all he wants. He’s got nothing else.”
After Homan had appeared on Laura Ingraham's show to say that AOC is "gonna be in trouble now," the New York Democrat didn't hold back, mocking him on Bluesky by writing, "'MaYbe shE’s goiNg to be in TroUble nOw' Maybe he can learn to read. The Constitution would be a good place to start."
AOC's brutal takedown of transphobes
— (@)
In December 2023, Ocasio-Cortez clashed with the GOP who were proposing restrictions targeting transgender women athletes.
The New York representative called out Republicans for expending so much time and energy on a marginalized group that makes up such a tiny percentage of the population before pointing out that the purpose of a lot of these anti-trans policies also seems to be a desire to control women’s bodies and invade their privacy.
“Why so much effort and dedication to such a tiny portion of the U.S. population when there virtually is no major issue that this is precipitating?” she said. “And I started to realize that a lot of these proposals involve invasion of privacy of all women.”
Ocasio-Cortez then slammed the “panel of men” who have dubious motives and haven’t thought about the “biology and privacy consequences of all women — trans or cis gender.”
AOC calls out sexism and demands and apology
— (@)
Back in 2020, Ocasio-Cortez took to the floor of the House to clapback at Rep. Ted Yoho (R-Fla), who had called her a “f—king bitch” after she had told him he was rude for putting his finger in her face and saying her “disgusting” and “dangerous.”
AOC called out the misogyny in the vulgar language used by the Republican congressman. ”This issue is not about one incident. It is cultural. It is a culture of lack of impunity, of accepting of violence and violent language against women and an entire structure of power that supports that," she said, as reported by NPR.
Yoho gave a weak apology and claimed that as a married man and father to “two daughters,” he would never use the language Ocasio-Cortez accused him of.
But the New York representative refused to back down, announcing that she could not sit back and “allow victims of verbal abuse” or her nieces to see this language used without standing up for herself.
"Having a daughter does not make a man decent. Having a wife does not make a decent man. Treating people with dignity and respect makes a decent man. And when a decent man messes up, as we all are bound to do, he tries his best and does apologize," she said.
Reading Marjorie Taylor Greene for filth
— (@)
Ocasio-Cortez ruthlessly mocked Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) after the Georgia congresswoman was tapped to work with Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficient (DOGE).
“This is good, actually. She barely shows up and doesn’t do the reading. To borrow a phrase I saw elsewhere, it’s like giving someone an unplugged controller,” AOC wrote on X about MTG’s new position.
She continued to roast Greene, as well as Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, who was originally brought on to be one of DOGE’s co-chairs. “Absolutely dying at those two now getting assigned the ‘privilege’ of ‘working’ with MTG. That is actually hilarious. Enjoy, fellas! Very prestigious post you have there,” she posted
AOC calls Trump out at the DNC
— (@)
Former Vice President Kamala Harris may not have won the presidential election, but AOC made sure to use her time at the podium at the Democratize National Convention to call out Trump for being a “sell out.”
In her fiery and powerful speech, Ocasio-Cortez praised Harris’ campaign for being “from the middle class” while blasting Trump for his “greed,” ABC 15 reported.
“We know that Donald Trump would sell this country for a dollar if it meant lining his own pockets and greasing the palms of his Wall Street friends,” she said. “I, for one, am tired of hearing how a two-bit union buster thinks of himself as more of a patriot than the woman who fights every single day to lift working people out form under the boots of greed trampling on our way of life.”
AOC called Trump a 'rapist'
The day before Trump’s inauguration, AOC took to Instagram to let people know why she wasn’t going to be in attendance, and she didn’t mince words.
“All these journalists are like, ‘Congresswoman, are you going to the inauguration, Congresswoman, are you going to inauguration, are you going to the inauguration?’ Let me make myself clear: I don’t celebrate rapists, so no, I’m not going to the inauguration,” she said in the video she posted, captioning it, “Guess I’m old school that way.”