Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez whined about new Twitter CEO Elon Musk’s plan to monetize the platform’s blue check verification feature and he hilariously roasted her for complaining.
Musk enraged verified Twitter users on Tuesday, when he posted that the “current lords & peasants system for who has or doesn’t have a blue checkmark is bulls–t,” and announced that blue check marks and other features including fewer ads, priority in replies, and the ability to post long videos would be monetized for $8 a month.
The liberal New York congresswoman tweeted back that she was laughing her a– off “at a billionaire earnestly trying to sell people on the idea that “free speech” is actually a $8/mo subscription plan.”
Musk blithely replied back, “Your feedback is appreciated, now pay $8.”
The Tesla CEO also sent AOC a screenshot of the periwinkle “supporter” crew sweatshirt that she sells for $58 in her online store.
“Proud of this and always will be. My workers are union, make a living wage, have full healthcare, and aren’t subject to racist treatment in their workplaces. Items are made in USA,” Ocasio-Cortez snapped back. “Team AOC honors and respects working people. You should try it sometime instead of union-busting.”
She shamelessly plugged the sweatshirt and her Homework Helpers program in a follow up tweet, then implied that Musk shut off her Twitter notifications because she seems “to have gotten under a certain billionaire’s skin.”
“Just a reminder that money will never by your way out of insecurity, folks,” she continued.
Musk clearly got under AOC’s skin, because she tweeted yet another scathing follow-up on Wednesday night.
“One guy’s business plan for a $44 billion over-leveraged purchase is apparently to run around and individually ask people for $8,” she wrote. “Remember that next time you question yourself or your qualifications.”
In true Twitter troll fashion, the SpaceX CEO sent out a series of memes mocking AOC’s outrage. In one, a man smiles about spending $8 on a Starbucks drink, but cries furiously about paying $8 for thirty days of platform verification.
AOC isn’t the only blue check verified whiner, liberal horror writer Stephen King compared him to a literary con for trying to make Twitter profitable.
“Musk makes me think of Tom Sawyer, who is given the job of whitewashing a fence as punishment. Tom cons his friends into doing the chore for him, and getting them to pay for the privilege,” King wrote. “That’s what Musk wants to do with Twitter. No, no, no.”
“Why can’t you rely entirely on advertisers?” Actor John Cryer cried. “Broadcast television has done it for 80 years.”
“I lived most of my life without a blue check mark,” journalist Dan Rather remarked. “Pretty sure I could go back to that and be just fine.”
“Ditto,” replied Nancy Sinatra.
Donald Trump Jr. gleefully chimed in on the topic. “For the price of an AOC sweatshirt you can watch Elon Musk destroy her for more than 7 months… much better value TBH,” he tweeted.