Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez says abuse she gets from Twitter trolls is 'validation that you're doing something real', and called their memes 'so weak'

Sinéad Baker (sbaker@businessinsider.com)
Updated

  • Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said that she thinks of Twitter abuse as confirmation she is "doing something real."

  • Ocasio-Cortez said it has never been her plan to end up "flying under the radar."

  • "Like what is the point In doing things If you’re just trying to maintain a status quo that doesn’t help people?," she told Showtime's "Desus & Mero" TV show.

  • She also said that memes criticizing her are "weak" and asked about those who make them: "How do you have a computer that runs both Windows ‘95 and Twitter at the same time?"

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said that abuse she receives on Twitter does not bother her because it's "validation that you’re doing something real."

She also took aim at people who use memes to criticize her, saying that their efforts are "so weak."

Ocasio-Cortez was asked on Showtime's "Desus & Mero" show whether she ever regretted entering politics because of attacks from "Twitter trolls" and "Russia bots."

She replied: "No. no. I mean, it’s heavy. But in a weird way that stuff is validation that you’re doing something real." She was speaking on the show with comedy duo Desus Nice and The Kid Mero, who are also Bronx natives.

Ocasio-Cortez continued: "Because if you’re just flying under the radar, just trying to get your check, like not rock the boat, then what’s the point in being in politics?

Related: Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Instagram

"Like what is the point in doing things if you’re just trying to maintain a status quo that doesn’t help people?"

As well as broadly dismissing the effect of Twitter criticism, Ocasio-Cortez also took aim at her critics' meme skills, describing the efforts she sees in her timeline as "so weak."

She asked: "How do you have a computer that runs both Windows ‘95 and Twitter at the same time?"

Ocasio-Cortez's stratospheric political rise has earned her many fans on the left and detractors on the right.

The New York Democrat has a prolific presence that has even been praised by Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey, who said in February that she has "mastered" Twitter.

Ocasio-Cortez is the most-followed member of Congress by a large margin, and she has hosted a Twitter class for other Democrats.

She has previously said the volume of criticism she gets is a sign that her detractors are afraid of her message.

In February, she said that Trump's criticism of socialism during his State of the Union address was evidence that he was "scared" of her popularity.

Advertisement