A new appeal from Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez to bring Trump voters into her political fold stands at odds with a record that includes sustained criticism of Trump supporters and numerous disputes with conservative activists and officials.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) posted a video this week in which she stated, “I want to say this right now. I fully welcome Trump voters into our coalition. And I know that sounds crazy to some people, but just hear me out.”
She detailed being approached by individuals who told her they had once been “a big Trump voter and Trump supporter” who “watched Fox News every day,” before later expanding their information sources.
According to her account, these individuals told her they “learned,” “changed,” and aligned more closely with her views over time. She also recounted meeting “really big Republicans now” who are surprised by her in person because “you are nothing like I was told you are,” adding that such moments can cause people to reconsider what “this one channel or this one ecosystem” had told them and spark “a longer journey of learning.”
While her recent message emphasized openness to Trump voters, Ocasio-Cortez has previously expressed unfavorable views of Trump supporters. In 2019, on Crooked Media’s “Pod Save America,” she remarked many Trump supporters were “not educated enough on racism” to see how certain policies operated, portraying Trump’s coalition as one in which “a core part… were racists” alongside others “susceptible to racist views.” She continued that some supporters “genuinely don’t believe that they are racist because we do not talk about or educate people on recognizing racism.”
Ocasio-Cortez has also frequently clashed with conservative figures. Last month, she targeted women’s sports advocate Riley Gaines on social media, sparking an exchange between them. After Gaines sought a debate, Ocasio-Cortez answered, “I would like to challenge this person to get a real job.” Gaines responded that motherhood was her “most important & rewarding job.”
Her past clashes have included opposition to Republican leadership. In October 2023, as Republicans moved to elect Rep. Mike Johnson, Ocasio-Cortez wrote on X, “Introducing extremist GOP Speaker nominee Mike Johnson,” and asserted he “was a key architect of the Jan 6th strategy to overturn the US election.”
Ocasio-Cortez mocked White House adviser Stephen Miller’s height, saying, “He looks like he’s like 4’ 10,” and claiming he seemed “angry” about it. She said one way to respond to what she called “insecure masculinity” was to “laugh at them.” After backlash on social media, she reversed course, explaining she had not intended literal body-shaming and meant people could be “big or small… on the inside.” She added, “I want to express my love for the short king community. I don’t believe in body shaming,” and described some men as “spiritually six-foot.”
In September, Ocasio-Cortez opposed a resolution honoring conservative activist Charlie Kirk, arguing it “brings great pain” to Americans who endured segregation. She told colleagues, “We should be clear about who Charlie Kirk was,” citing his view that the Civil Rights Act was a “mistake,” his comment that “some amazing patriot” should bail out Paul Pelosi’s attacker, and her allegation that he accused Jews of influencing major cultural institutions. She also warned that the measure was part of an attempt to “weaponize this moment into an all-out assault on free speech across the country,” although later reporting showed that his complete remarks contained context she did not include.
