The Republican president-elect improved his share of support in New York City including in AOC’s district in 2024, leaving some scratching their heads over how someone could vote for him and a progressive member of ‘The Squad.’
After the election, the Democratic congresswoman put out on social media that she wanted to hear from such voters about their thinking. The responses came flooding in. She shared her takeaways in an interview with the liberal news network.
‘When it comes to people who split their ticket, I think a lot of people cited several different things,’ Ocasio-Cortez told Reid.
‘One, there is universal frustration in this country, much of it I actually think justified, that is raging at a political establishment that centers corporate interests, billionaires and puts their needs ahead of the needs of working Americans,’ she explained.
AOC said there are people who have seen Child Tax Credits cut off and SNAP benefits cut off while seeing billionaires like Elon Musk get tax breaks. She argued they can channel this ‘righteous rage.’
‘But then why vote for Elon Musk and Donald Trump?’ Reid pushed back.
‘I think that of course is the question,’ AOC said.
‘It makes no sense,’ Reid responded in confusion.
Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez explaining on MSNBC why some people in her district voted for her but also chose Trump at the top of the ticket
AOC noted that Democrats are still learning from the results of the November election. The results delivered a trifecta to Republicans with control of the White House, Senate and House.
The New York congresswoman said understanding that happened is an ongoing process, but she did have one take on Trump.
‘There is something to be said about it doesn’t matter that he’s lying. He’s saying that “I’m fighting for you,”‘ she said.
Reid questioned how people could believe it was Harris who went ‘too woke’ noting she campaigned with Liz Cheney.
But when it comes to the debate about being ‘too woke’ it was Trump pushing that narrative. During the campaign, Trump’s campaign spent millions running an ad that demonized transpeople and attacked Harris accusing her of being for ‘they/them.’
AOC argued people zeroed in on the Harris for ‘they/them’ messaging but pointed out the second part of that ad said Trump is for ‘you.’
‘Democrats very often in their messaging, they speak in terms and in concepts and not in the second person,’ she said. ‘I care about you.’
The New York congresswoman argued that politics is a race to convince people about who cares about them more.
MSNBC host Joy Reid looking baffled over why voters would opt for Trump who has the support of Elon Musk while raging against an establishment that supports billionaires. ‘It makes no sense,’ she said
While Democrats will be examining what went wrong for them in the months and years to come, AOC also noted that while there were people who split tickets to vote for her and Trump in her district, Democrats also ‘lost people to the couch.’
‘A lot of people say this why I voted for you and Trump,’ AOC explained. ‘And some people say this is why I didn’t vote or didn’t vote top of the ticket.’
She believes there was some voters to selected Democrats down ballot but did not fill out the top of ticket.
Reid also asked Ocasio-Cortez if the people she has spoken to who voted for Trump were expecting where things were headed with the president-elects cabinet nominations so far.
‘Genuinely, no,’ the congresswoman responded shaking her head.
This week Trump announced a series of nominations that have sent shockwaves through Washington with Democrats and Republicans alike.
He chose MAGA firebrand Matt Gaetz who is was being investigated for sexual misconduct as his Attorney General pick.
Trump also nominated a conservative TV personality with a history of controversial remarks and no senior military leadership experience to head the Defense Department and he named vaccine skeptic Robert Kennedy Jr. to lead the Department of Health and Human Services.
The president-elect also named former Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard, who as been accused of Russian disinformation, as his Director of National Intelligence.
‘People may want to take a vengeful stance about this, but it is genuinely heartbreaking,’ AOC said.
She said people need to understand that there are millions of people working two or three shifts a day to make ends meet and are not reading the newspaper.
‘It’s not to say that people are uneducated or uninformed or anything like that, but this is real life,’ the congresswoman said.
She said more so than in past elections, she has people coming up to her with questions and concerns about whether Trump really will do what he said he was going to on the campaign trail.
Donald Trump with Robert Kennedy Jr. AOC warned Kennedy leading HHS could lead to the decimation of health centers
AOC slammed Trump’s DNI pick former Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard, calling her a ‘pro war nomination globally’
When talking about Kennedy’s nomination, AOC specifically raised concerns that rural community health centers could be decimated under his watch leaving Trump voters without access to health care.
‘I actually think, almost more than Matt Gaetz, Tulsi Gabbard’s appointment is devastating,’ Ocasio-Cortez also said.
AOC slammed Gabbard saying ‘as much as she says that she’s an anti-war person, she’s not. She supports very pro-war individuals abroad.’
‘let’s be very clear, a Tulsi Gabbard nomination is a pro-war nomination globally,’ the congresswoman said.
