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Moya Lothian McLean
Oct 02, 2020
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Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Donald Trump are old enemies.
From the moment Trump entered office, they’ve butted heads.
And usually AOC comes out on top.
Here’s 7 times AOC shut down Donald Trump in the most effective way possible.
1. Calling out the double standards of their respective hair styling
In 2019, AOC was slammed by Republicans for her hair styling habits.
According to them, AOC spending $250 on a haircut and lowlights on her birthday was a sackable offence.
Except now last week it emerged that Donald Trump spent $70,000 on his hair expenses while hosting The Apprentice.
And AOC isn’t about to take that while lying down.
So took to Twitter to point out the double standards.
“Last year Republicans blasted a firehose of hatred + vitriol my way because I treated myself to a $250 (£195) cut & lowlights on my birthday,” she wrote.
“Where’s the criticism of their idol spending $70k (£55k) on hairstyling? Oh, it’s nowhere because they’re spineless, misogynistic hypocrites? Got it”.
Oh we got it alright.
2. When she pointed out she paid more tax than him as a waitress
The New York Times also revealed how much tax Trump had paid over the last 15-odd years.
And it wasn’t much; some years Trump – a purported millionaire –allegedly paid absolutely no tax at all.
In 2016 and 2017, his first years as president, Trump reportedly paid just $750.
So AOC decided to contextualise this by sharing how much she’d had to pay while on a low-income wage as a bartender, which she said was “thousands”.
“He contributed less to funding our communities than waitresses & undocumented immigrants,” she added.
“Donald Trump has never cared for our country more than he cares for himself. A walking scam”.
Ouch.
3. When she brought academic receipts after Trump called her a “poor student”
Trump has often hurled insults AOC’s way.
There’s no love lost there.
And often she’s quick to disprove him.
Like when he said that she was “not even a smart person” and a “poor student’.
Given AOC’s college transcript is private, Trump has no idea how she performed in college.
But her diligence in Congress seems to suggest his jibe wasn’t true.
And AOC was also willing to back himself, quickly challenging him to bring out his own transcripts.
“Let’s make a deal, Mr. President,” she posted on Twitter.
“You release your college transcript, I’ll release mine, and we’ll see who was the better student. Loser has to fund the Post Office”.
Her sign off was a tongue-in-cheek jibe about Trump’s crusade against the post office in the run up to the election.
4. When she reminded him of just how much she’s achieved when he criticised the Democrats
In 2019, Trump decided to accuse the Democrats of being lazy.
Interesting as they’re not the ones who reportedly spend their days watching TV and eating junk food.
The president named AOC alongside colleagues like Nancy Pelosi and Adam Schiff in a tweet slamming “Do Nothing Democrats”, accusing them of “not getting important legislation done”.
AOC quickly corrected him.
“In my first 11 months I’ve cosponsored 339 pieces of legislation, authored 15, took on Big Pharma w/ my colleagues in hearings that brought PreP generic a year early & exposed abuse of power,” she replied.
“In 4 years, you’ve jailed kids & made corruption the cause celebré
Try to keep up”.
Mic drop.
5. When she responded to his accusation about “not being talented”
AOC is widely acknowledged to be one of the most talented young politicians in the US at the moment, beginning from the moment she won a surprise victory to propel her into Congress.
Since then she’s been making waves (who can forget her skewering of Mark Zuckerberg?) and a name for herself as somewhat of an icon in the making.
Which is why Trump deeming her “not talented” deserved a rejoinder.
" Joe Biden put AOC, a young woman – not talented in many ways – in charge of his energy plan and the environment," said Trump, during a White House Rose Garden session with reporters in July.
"When I first saw the Green New Deal, I thought it was a joke”.
AOC quickly replied, saying:
A man whose entire life was built on a rich blend of daddy's money and financial fraud accuses me, daughter of a house cleaner who won multiple elections to Congress by the age of 30, of not having talent.
You can tell from his delivery that even HE doesn't believe it.
Can’t argue with that.
6. When she shut down a racist question from Trump
It’s common knowledge that Donald Trump doesn’t have a good track record when it comes to respecting people from backgrounds different to his own.
So when Trump went on a racist rant in 2019, that seemed to attack AOC, among other “Progressive Congresswomen” for supposedly coming from “totally broken and crime infested places,” and “telling” the US how it “should be run”.
The president finished up his message by demanding the subjects of his tweet “go back and help fix” the nations he mentioned.
So… America?
AOC had the same thought, replying:
Mr. President, the country I “come from,” & the country we all swear to, is the United States.
But given how you’ve destroyed our border with inhumane camps, all at a benefit to you & the corps who profit off them, you are absolutely right about the corruption laid at your feet.
You are angry because you don’t believe in an America where I represent New York 14, where the good people of Minnesota elected @IlhanMN, where @RashidaTlaib fights for Michigan families, where @AyannaPressley champions little girls in Boston.
You are angry because you can’t conceive of an America that includes us. You rely on a frightened America for your plunder.
You won’t accept a nation that sees healthcare as a right or education as a #1 priority, especially where we’re the ones fighting for it.
Yet here we are.
She finished off saying:
But you know what’s the rub of it all, Mr. President?
On top of not accepting an America that elected us, you cannot accept that we don’t fear you, either.
You can’t accept that we will call your bluff & offer a positive vision for this country. And that’s what makes you seethe.
That pretty much covers it.
7. When she had the perfect response to a cruel insult
Q: How do you respond when the president of the United States calls you a “wack job”?
A: Like this.
Game, set, match.
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