Topics: Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Donald Trump, Politics
Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has slammed Donald Trump’s recent claims that the United States is facing an imminent "communist" takeover, branding his scare tactics as "very silly".
The back-and-forth row erupted after Trump delivered a speech at a rally in Marietta, Georgia, where he claimed that progressive politicians are pushing the nation toward extreme left-wing ideology.
Addressing the crowd, Trump declared: “Communism is the single greatest threat to our country in its history, including even World War I and World War II, Pearl Harbor, 9/11.”
He went on to claim that "communists" want to blow up Mount Rushmore and accused the Democratic Party's progressive flank of skipping socialism altogether and going "right to communism".
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When asked by reporters outside the U.S. Capitol if she was concerned that progressive primary wins could lead to a 'slippery slope' toward full communism, as Trump had suggested, Ocasio-Cortez laughed off the notion.
“No, I’m not concerned about America turning into a communist country in like a year. I think that’s very silly,” Ocasio-Cortez said.
The New York Congresswoman went on to highlight the reality of American economic policy, pointing out that the federal minimum wage has remained frozen at $7.25 an hour since 2009.
“We can’t even raise the minimum wage. Do Republicans really think that this stuff is going to happen? No, they don’t; they’re trying to scare people,” she explained. “Because they don’t want us talking about the fact that we all have a right to healthcare in this country.”
Under current federal standards, a 40-hour work week at $7.25 an hour equates to an annual income of $15,080 before taxes — a figure that falls below the federal poverty threshold, which sets the 100% poverty level at $15,960 for an individual and $33,000 for a family of four.
AOC argued that political opponents use extreme labels like 'communist' to distract working-class voters from domestic policy issues.
“They want to call everything they don’t like communist because if people actually wake up to the fact that their elected officials are screwing them over when they get here, then they’re going to realize they deserve better,” Ocasio-Cortez said.
“They want to call this stuff communist because they don’t want us to realize that the rest of the developed world has guaranteed healthcare.”
Despite rhetoric from conservative commentators and figures like Texas Senator Ted Cruz — who recently claimed Democrats are secretly aligned with historical communist regimes — no sitting member of Congress identifies as a communist.
When pressed on whether she is eyeing a potential run for higher office in 2028, Ocasio-Cortez kept her focus firmly on the present, confirming she has 'genuinely not really weighed seriously anything past the midterm elections.'
